


SAVE

by necroeffect



Category: Underfell - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Angst, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Ecto-Genitalia (Undertale), Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), Fellcest - Freeform, Fontcest, Hurt/Comfort, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, M/M, My First Fanfic, Nihilism, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rimming, Sans Needs A Hug, Sans Remembers Resets, Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, Spoilers - Undertale Genocide Route, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, Undertale Genocide Route, good frisk, honest to god i'll rewrite this whole thing later, i dont know what the fuck im doing im going to be completely honest here, self indulgent x20, the timeline machine broke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-02-18 11:19:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13099002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/necroeffect/pseuds/necroeffect
Summary: Sans definitely wasn't used was waking up in snow, that definitely was slipping under his parka. He absolutely was not used to waking up to the violet door of the RUINS with the ache of a RESET imbued in his SOUL.Getting up sounded awful right now, but so did staying buried in the snow, with the knowledge that something was different. Because this had never happened before. Something sharp and frightening slipped through the sea of apathy the skeleton had sunk himself in. Sans didn't know what was going on for the first time in, well, half-past forever.Something had changed.ABANDONED





	1. There's No More Silence

**Author's Note:**

> i dont know what the fuck im doing and you bet i didnt proofread this shit

Sans had become an empty husk.

Sans existed, played his part, but had not really  _lived_ for a long time. Not anymore. He hadn't needed to do so in a while now. The same events, the same dialogue parroting again and again rendering his actions meaningless. Even if he felt the compulsion to pull away from the script, it affected nothing. There was no reward for his efforts, no point in trying.

He had tried everything. Variated the timeline as much as he could, and fought and  _bled_ and persisted until there was nothing left. Sans was long past the point of tired, the sweet embrace of death nothing but a taunting promise. Time, rendered meaningless as reality warped and bended around his very SOUL to the whims of an insane child.  A part of him cried out for release, for the destruction of the timeline his data had predicted to come about.

 _"i can't afford not to care anymore_. _"_   It had been such a long time ago when he had first spoken those words.

He _had_ cared in the beginning, and he had tried so hard. But after so long - it was hard for him to not accept his fate. Once he had, the light he had kindled for so long died in an instant, leaving nothing but a gaping void in his SOUL. 

Sans didn't care.

He couldn't care anymore. He couldn't invest himself again into something that would shatter in an instant. He was too tired; too fragile for that sort of thing anymore. Sans couldn't afford to let himself break. Afterall, Papyrus needed him.

~~Sans cared about one thing.~~

His living faded into a sham of existence, living through his interactions with Papyrus to fuel his sanity. The rest of the time, he relied on the knowledge of what was to come and mindlessly followed suit.

 ~~~~Stuck in the same span of days over and over and _over_  had one upside.

After the first hundred or so tries he didn't need to think to react. To say the bare minimum of what was expected of him. Sans didn't have to  _think_ unless he wanted to, and could simply parrot the script he had unknowingly written for himself on auto pilot. He could distance himself from everything, refraining from involving himself in the events in any way.

~~It was probably the only reason besides Papyrus that he was still remotely sane.~~

There wasn't a point in changing the script anyway. Nothing ever changed.

_He couldn't save him._

~~Why did the human keep breaking his lifeline? _why?_~~

However, this left him absolutely lost when, eventually, something different happened. It left him unable to properly react, stuck in the mindset of going through the motions.

Sans hadn't noticed anything was even wrong until the kid didn't attack him after his routine attempt to spare them. He looked at Frisk, really  _looked_  for the first time in a long time seeing more than his brother's dust and saw the child's knife fallen on the golden tile of the Judgement Hall's floor.

 **SPARE**.

The skeleton stared incomprehensibly as the child spared him, their form trembling and shuddering as they seemed to struggle not to pick up the knife that had dropped.

This had only happened  _once_ before, and he assumed it was out of curiosity that the human actually accepted his MERCY. _Heh_ , he remembered how  _angry_ they had been after that one. Priceless.

That had been a long time ago. This was different.

"finally," he breathed. "buddy. pal." Sans started slowly, gauging the human's response. Was this a trick? Something to rile him up to get a new response, perhaps. Maybe something to mix up the monotony. Over a thousand times and the human was probably just a desperate to have a change of pace as he was. "i know how hard it must be to make that choice."

His next words were cut off by the human's voice, a quiet rasp from disuse but terribly loud in the still quiet of the Judgement Hall. 

Sans had forgotten Frisk could even  _talk._

"It's not me."

Sans' eyes lingered over the human's form uncertainly, confusion filling his thoughts as he watched the human gasp and tremble after the admission. Small hands gripped at brown locks full of dust, as the child seemed to be  _fighting themselves_ , stepping harrowingly closer to the discarded weapon and then back again. The skeleton didn't respond, mind still reeling, and unequipped to cope with such a change.  _What was the kid even talking about? What were they playing at?_

This could still be some kind of trick, but for what purpose? It didn't make any sense.

None of this made any sense.

"S-sans... I can't..." The fallen human started, voice shaking.

"I can't stop them," the human child eventually told him with desperate and wild eyes. "Just kill me. Just make it  _stop_." They hiccuped a small sob before speaking again. "I can't do this anymore..." They begged hoarsely before their knees buckled and fell to the floor in a graceless movement.

None of this made  _any sense._

"kid..." Sans started, is own voice wavering and uncertain as he gazed at the child with no little amount of suspicion. He didn't make a move to step forward, eyes rapt on the human as he waited for the other shoe to drop.  For this entire scene, this change of script to be nothing more than a clever hoax.

The child let out another low sob, hands gripping tighter and pulling roughly on their own skull before pleading once again.

 _"Hurry up and kill me now-_ "

And it had been as if a flip had been switched, the human suddenly  _moving_ faster than Sans could react. The child was a blur to his eyelights, picking the knife back up and running at him in one fluid movement with the with the intent to kill. Any clue of the last few minutes not being his imagination were gone, except for the tear tracks left on the kids face.

The event left the skeleton too distracted to dodge and fight as well as he normally would have, his movements lagging from his mind's stuttering thoughts. The scene he had just witnessed repeated in his mind's eye as he was nearly struck continuously. The human's frightened, wild gaze contrasted sharply with their current expression; malevolent, cheerful, and _empty._

Their fight ended much faster than usual, the cold bite of the child's knife and the pressure from their SOUL knocking him down in a single hit. Although, given his HP, any sort of hit on his person with intent would kill him realistically. This much just made it  _hurt_ much more.

His body crumpled unto the floor, and he spared the kid his normal murmur to Papyrus, not really feeling like talking. His attention was too rapt on the child, gauging their reaction, or lack thereof in this case.

The cogs in his mind turned as he watched the child stare at his dying form, their expression gleeful despite their vacant eyes. As much as Sans suspected that entire scene had been a bluff to freshen up their fight, he couldn't find it in himself to say the interaction was anything but genuine. Their body language, their speech, and their expression was too real. Far too thorough to be anything _but_ real.

And nothing else made sense, really. If they hadn't bothered to change anything the last thousand times, why try now? He could pass it off as the whims of an unsound mind, but that wasn't right. Sans knew that wasn't the case. He could feel it in his bones.

The pun gave him no respite from the pain that was consuming his being, Sans realized with a grimace. Stars, did it hurt.

~~What had he done to deserve this?~~

That realization, that Frisks' plea had to have been real only brought more questions, and a terrible suspicion as the skeleton watched the human pass his disintegrating body without the slightest hesitation. Through the pain of his SOUL shattering, an memory surfaced from the bottom of the depths of his mind.

A memory of a time - too long ago - when the human had offered him kindness. When the human could have been considered a  _friend,_ before they had become nothing more than a sinister smile and the smell dust. The agony of betrayal that came when their deadly cycle began followed suit, something Sans had tried so desperately hard to forget. It hurt too much, he couldn't -

_I can't do this anymore..._

Sans closed his eyes, feeling the inevitable shattering of his being iminent, the plea resounding once more in his mind before he fell.

"heh. me neither kiddo."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sans was used to the floor in his bedroom. Was used to the dull ache of a reset echo through his entire being. Was used to the beginning of the dawn seeping through his windows and the chill of Snowdin perminating his bones. Was used to waiting for Papyrus to come call him down for breakfast until inevitably dragging his sorry ass downstairs.

Sometimes he would refuse, and wouldn't leave his room until the human's arrival, controlled by a heady compulsion to welcome them to Snowdin. Sans remembered trying to be anywhere but Snowdin, trapping himself in Hotlands and still unconsciously shortcutting to the exit of the RUINS.

After that, he had stopped trying to fight it.

What Sans definitely wasn't used was waking up in snow, that definitely was slipping under his parka. He absolutely was not used to waking up to the violet door of the RUINS with the ache of a RESET imbued in his SOUL.

Getting up definitely sounded awful right now, but so did staying buried in the snow, with the knowledge that something was  _different_.

Did the human find a way to LOAD from a different point? Had that event in the last loop affected the entire timeline?

Something sharp and frightening slipped through the sea of apathy the skeleton had sunk himself in. Sans didn't know what was going on for the first time in, well, half-past  _forever_.

It was unsettling and sent him into a state of borderline panic. Where was Papyrus? Was he already dead? Would he never see his brother again-

"SANS!"

Nevermind.

The skeleton unburied himself from the comfortable pile of snow he had been laying on, waving lazily at his brother. "hey, pap. what's up?"

"WHAT'S UP?! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU FOR AN HOUR!" Papyrus seemed genuinely upset. "I went to wake you up after you refused to come down for breakfast and I couldn't find you! I looked _everywhere_ before coming here!" Sans felt immense guilt, despite not really being in control of his location.

"uh, sorry bro."

"HONESTLY SANS!! you worried me! why were you sleeping all the way out here? you could've gotten a cold!"

"i dunno, not sure how i got here honestly. must've sleep walked or somethin'," the shorter skeleton admitted. "i guess coming here must've..."

"OH NO." Papyrus knew what was coming.

"...been on my 'to doze' list."

"OH MY GOD SANS!! That was a stretch and you know it." Papyrus held his face in his hands. Sans felt better, having distracted his brother from his current conundrum.

Had he shortcutted here after the RESET without meaning to? Had the human's plea _rattled_ him that much?

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THIS IS, BUT HIS JOKES ARE WORSE THAN YOURS, SANS. I cannot believe this." Sans stared at Papyrus uncomprehendingly as he heard his brother speak without actually seeing him  _say anything._ That and it had sounded kind of...  _off_.

Papyrus looked just as confused as he felt.

" 'ey! i don't think my puns aren't bad, boss." Stars, that sounded like  _him._ Sans turned his eye lights towards the source of the sound, and saw a shadow that definitely  _looked_ like him, too.

_what._

"SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, WHELP."

_the fuck._

"LANGUAGE, SANS!" Distantly, he registered the chastising and realized he must have spoke aloud. Sans barely recognized Papyrus' scolding voice,  _his Papyrus' voice_ , in the wake of what he was seeing.  Some sort of really twisted mirror because they definitely didn't look like that. Papyrus was never so... edgy.

And neither was he for that matter.

And Papyrus didn't emit high levels of LOVE either.

His brother was  _in danger_.

That thought alone ripped him out of his shock at the other two's appearances. It was irrelevant - protecting his brother came first. 

"pap get back." he told his brother as his right eye emanated a haze of blue magic as he was ready to defend Papyrus because that was some strong LV, whatever those monsters were. The Papyrus clone laughed, amused at his reaction.

"Oh? What's a 1HP monster going to accomplish against The Great and Terrible Papyrus?" The monster goaded him, but Sans paid it no mind.

It even had the same speech patterns as his brother. Was it some kind of mimic, perhaps? Those kind of monsters were rare but... no it wasn't really mimicking Papyrus at all, if that leather get up and wicked filed teeth were any indication. If it was, it was a really  _shitty_ mimic.

"OH!! You must be a fan, to dress up like me so well! I am quite flattered by your impersonation, lookalike..." of course his brother would see the situation in the most optimistic way possible. he admired that.

The other, darker looking sans exploded in laughter at his brothers remark, and Sans immediately took offense. _How dare they laugh at his brother_. His brother was the coolest  _how dare they._

"pap, they ain't friendly. CHECK them. get back." he warned his brother again. The skeleton seemed hesitant at his demand, but he did so.

"Oh my. My fan, you have done some bad things in your life. But if you're looking up to someone such as me, The Great Papyrus, then certainly you are capable of change!" Papyrus insisted, but to his chagrin it seemed to only incite the other.

His eyes lit up with heady red magic before he spoke, "I am tired of this foolishness." 

In a short instant red bones manifested, aimed to strike his brother.

His reaction was  _instantaneous,_ with little thought needed _._ Blue bones countered them easily and doubled against the pattern the other skeleton had created. The dark Papyrus was caught off guard by his retaliation, and barely avoided a strike.

"SANS!" his brother cried in worry as he shortcutted in front of his brother, standing in front of him to defend him.

"run away pap. i've got this, get out of here." he said without sparing a glance to his brother, eyes trained on the threat. Papyrus made a noise of disagreement, but anything he said was lost as the other skeleton cackled at his response.

"INTERESTING. Perhaps you will put up a better fight than I thought." The other seemed pleased by his reception. Sans grit his teeth in irritation.

The shorter skeletons eyelights went out, and hoped Papyrus had left already.

"heh. you threatened my brother. now you're in for **a  b a d  t i m e** ." 

"A BAD TIME? HAH! The only one going to suffer here is-" the imposter didn't have a chance to finish his sentence, the appearance of his  _gaster blasters_  silencing anything he wanted to say. There was a second before they fired, the noise of such condensed magic hitting air screeching, not even accounting for it hitting it's surroundings. The noise grated on his SOUL but he paid it no mind.

He waited for the dust to settle, feeling karmic retribution hit. He hadn't bothered to check the other monster's stats, so he was uncertain if such a hit would have brought it down to lethal.

A barrage of bones came from a direction he didn't expect, and the skeleton narrowly avoided getting singed by the red attacks.

Perhaps he wouldn't have, if he wasn't so well practiced.

The smoke cleared as he faced the direction of attack, seeing his own imposter grasping the taller skeleton. "SANS!! Do not interfere!" the skeleton seemed furious by his intervention.

Sans' double had the gall to wink as he replied, "sorry boss. you definitely would've gotten dusted if i hadn't shortcutted you, so not sorry."

"I WOULD NOT!" The taller skeleton insisted, before another row of attacks swarmed them and the other Sans was forced to retreat. The interaction seemed somewhat resemblant of his interactions with Papyrus, if not more... violent.

And wasn't that strange.

Sans shook away the stray thought as he took the opportunity to create another attack, and fell into a familiar pattern. Too quickly did the white and black woods outside of the ruins bleed into red and gold. The human stood in front of him, sadistic smile sending shivers down his spine. 

Had that entire event been a trick? Well, it didn't really matter.

Sans smoothly stepped to the side the human lunged at him. He responded in kind, creating a complex attack pattern as he fell into the rhythm of battle. The human was fast on their feet, more so than usual and didn't even attempt to goad him into a conversation. He almost followed suit, until a  _flash_ of an image of Papyrus fell across his vision. 

The calm, collected mentality shattered. He ached.  _He raged._

Sans' attack was a bit more intense than normal, pulling something far closer to his special attack than something he would normally do when the kid wasn't worn out. He didn't care. It didn't matter.

Papyrus was dead.

" D i r t y  b r o t h e r  k i l l e r . "

Sans didn't remember starting to speak as he registered the last word coming out of his mouth. The beam coming from the maw of the nearby blasters made the noise almost incomprehensible anyway.

He would just have to tell them next time, Sans supposed.

The human got hit, something that hadn't happened in  _timelines_  and he wondered if it was another deviation. The KARMA burn wasn't as intense as Sans knew would occur for someone with 20 LV but perhaps they had only been grazed? Something about the attack was unsettling, as he watched the human get back up and attempt to resume.

Something about this was off.

Something to do with what had happened last loop? He tried to follow the thought but it eluded his grasp. Had something happened the previous reset?

~~It didn't matter either way, nothing matters. It would all just be reset anyway.~~

The skeleton dodged _something_ that whipped by his head, only detectable by the whistling sound it mad before it hit. He didn't have time to ponder the timelines.

Sans turned the kids SOUL blue, and readied some Gaster Blasters, methodically like he had done far too often, but before they struck -

"STOP SANS! _DO NOT HARM THEM!_ " Papyrus suddenly stood in front of the  _human,_ the human who had  _killed him over and over_.

It took a moment of deliberation, of heady self control and patience before he stopped the attack just milliseconds before it hit the human. He held back, and released the magical constructs.

Sans SPARED them. 

If Papyrus asked him to, he would. Sans owed him at least that much.

The taller skeleton immediately ran to his side, and suddenly the halls weren't so golden and red. The sound of birds singing faded away, leaving him disoriented and dizzy as white appeared in everywhere that Papyrus wasn't.

"...pap?" he asked hoarsely, suddenly feeling his SOUL drop in his chest. What had just...?

"He is in no state to fight you anymore Sans. I appreciate your attempt to defend me but you have gone too far." Sans' gaze on his brother strayed to the form behind him, the other Papyrus looking past worse for wear with the other Sans at his side, seeming angry. Hesitantly, the monster ran a CHECK on his previous opponent as a sense of horror began to creep into his mind.

 

**Papyrus**

**LV: 13**

**HP: 53/3550**

**AT: 50**

**DF: 35**

***The ruthless captain of the royal guard.**

 

Sans stared at the monster in mounting horror, who gave him an pained glare from the other side of the  _absolutely devastated_ exit to the RUINS.

He had almost killed him, and he wouldn't have known. He had almost killed another monster.

He had almost killed a monster that looked  _remarkably like his brother._

Stars, what if he hadn't have noticed Papyrus? How could he lose himself like that? The skeleton took a couple of more steps back before he sunk to his knees.  _He could have killed his brother._

"Sans! it is alright! It is over!" Papyrus frowned when his brother did not respond, eyelights dark. The taller skeleton sighed at his unresponsive brother before switching his gaze to the now wounded taller skeleton and his companion. Papyrus asked the other if he was alright, which was met with a hostile reply. The skeleton seemed to receive that as a positive reply.

He continued, "My brother is quite upset that he attacked you and I apologize in his place! I am sure he will apologize on his own when he is less upset." Papyrus assured. "The Great Papyrus insists on taking you to our home and healing you and getting this sorted out!"

The two seemed nothing short of incredulous, "are ya fuckin' kiddin' me? like _we'd trust you_ after that shit. what the fuck are you on?"

His brother seemed to take their attitude in stride. "NONSENSE. I have no reason to harm you, quite the opposite seeing how you are our fans." Papyrus ignored the angry comment of "we're not your fuckin' fans!" as he continued, "and regardless, if you are so concerned, realize that if we wanted you harmed further it is quite obvious a ploy is unnecessary."

If Sans had any ability to focus on anything but the sudden mana drain and self-loathing he was experiencing, he would be impressed.

The other Sans seemed further irritated by the statement, but his wounded brother looked thoughtful. "You have a point, but then what do you want?" The other's sans looked livid at the suggestion.

Papyrus appeared put out by the question. "To heal you? To apologize for my brother's reaction?" The taller skeleton huffed at the response, before conceding. 

"Fine. We'll accept your apology, but if you do _anything..."_ The skeleton threatened, eyelights glaring red.

"I will keep Sans perfectly under control!" Papyrus assured him. The skeleton seemed  _less_ at ease with that claim, if possible.

His gaze was speculative, and full of distrust but he agreed, weakly getting to his feet and refusing help from either of the other two skeletons at his side. Sans did't feel the will to go over and help him, not after what he had just _done_. 

Papyrus still seemed pleased with his efforts as he lead the two back to Snowdin.


	2. The Sound of a Burned Out Heartbeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posts without abandon.  
> i still dont dont know what im doing and i use parallelism way too fucking much im sorry

The walk back to their home in Snowdin felt like a blur to Sans. The feeling of Papyrus' phalanges wrapped around his own were the only thing Sans could find his focus staying on. He found himself thoughtlessly following his brother's footsteps back home, the concept of being able to simply shortcut lost after his previous skirmish.

He could have _killed_ Papyrus _._

The sense of numb that permeated his SOUL didn't come from the cold outside, and he could almost recognize the feeling of _horror_. The fact he had just... lost his grip on his surroundings like that was beyond frightening.

_What if it happens again?_

Sans wouldn't let it happen again. _Couldn't._ He would have to be much more vigilant, and next time he would be ready. Assuming there was a next time.

Making the vow to himself, Sans gripped his brother's hand pulling him along. He caught a glimmer of Papyrus' worried gaze before it escaped under his enthusiastic chatter to the brothers following quietly behind them.

A reminder of their presence had Sans sparing a glance behind him to look at them. Guilt crept in his mind at the sight of Papyrus' darker image limping along the roundabout trail they had taken, a faint trail of red marrow following his steps. His own doppelganger supported his weight, a silent but nervous presence at his side as they both seemed rapt in their attention to their surroundings.

They were working their way from the less populated area of Snowdin, trying to avoid any stops on their way home due to questions or otherwise - or at least, that's what Sans thinks he gathered from Papyrus' talking through his mana drained mind.

He caught the brothers looking absolutely puzzled as they passed housing and bystanders; mostly children.

Sans attempted file away the reaction for later, but honestly was not certain he would be able to remember much after this escapade. Wasn't certain it would even matter. His skull felt heavy and his thoughts were more fragmented than usual. That was why when they had finally reached their home he was more than relieved, and was half-tempted to leave the other pair of brothers with Papyrus to take a nap.

A reminder of the fact _they_ had attacked _Papyrus_ left that thought nothing more than a temptation, keeping a vigilant gaze over the two as his brother convinced the other Papyrus to rest on their couch and allow him to be healed into a less lethal state.

They were lucky his brother had picked up the ability to use healing magic, despite it not being his preferred type. Sans had to admit however, that it had definitely been a blessing with the state of his own HP.

It was one of the many things that made his brother the absolute _coolest._

His thoughts were broken off by his own darker visage's voice, drawling. "healin' after we attacked ya," he said with an incredulous tone and shook his head. "honestly," he scoffed. "yer fuckin' crazy." The skeleton decided.

After a lack of immediate response, he continued. "like honestly, what if we 'ust decided ta dust the both of ya now?"

Sans scoffed himself, before replying snarkily. "yeah, 'cus that went so well last time pal."

The other huffed in offense, and seemed to open his mouth to speak before Papyrus cut him off with a sharp reprimand.

"SANS! Do not be rude to our fans! Our half injured ones at that!" Sans winced at the reminder. The injuries that _he_ had caused.

He felt guilt creeping back over him in an instant, his sins crawling on his back. Sans apologized softly, "sorry bro."

However, his doppleganger seemed only more incensed at the remark. "we ain't yer fuckin' fans," he spat, furious. Sans saw Papyrus' expression shift in subtle bemusement at the statement.

Papyrus' eyelights did not stray from his healing as he spoke, his face illuminated by the green glow of the magic. "But then why do you look so much like us then?" He inquired, and paused before continuing. "You even match our dialects. Surely that cannot be a coincidence."

Sans agreed, especially on the matter of dialects. A skeleton's spoken _font_ is always something that's extremely hard to replicate, and is personalized and attuned to that skeletons very SOUL. To have two skeletons that not only look the same, but to have the same spoken _font_ either implies an impressive amount of work and time done to do so or -

"More like you look like _us_ ," Papyrus' double spoke up for the first time since the fight. Sans blinked at the sound, contrasting the skeletons deep more growl-like timbre to his brother's own higher pitched voice. "Just... _weaker."_ The skeleton said after a moment, seeming at a loss to really describe the visual difference between the two. His own darker looking self make a noise of agreement.

If Sans didn't just kick his ass into the ground, he would be offended.

Then again, probably not. Didn't have the energy for that nowadays.

Sans caught the dying of the green luminescence from his brother's healing magic, and watched Papyrus straighten himself up from his previous position, poised over the other taller skeleton to heal him. He absentmindedly ran a CHECK over the other skeleton, not missing the dirty look he received after doing so.

He returned a wink, and didn't bother hiding his amusement as the other's glare seemed to darken at the response.

 

**Papyrus**

**LV: 13**

**HP: 1014/3550**

**AT: 50**

**DF: 35**

*** The ruthless Captain of The Royal Guard.**

 

Sans let out a low impressed whistle, praising his brother's efforts. "nice work pap," he warmed at his brother's pleased blush at the compliment, his grin feeling more authentic than it had in a while at the interaction.

"Thank you, brother!" He crowed in response, before turning back to the other. "All of your fatal injuries have been taken care of, and the rest should fade after food and rest."

"Of course." The other Papyrus scowled, but seemed to flex his limbs to see what had been healed. There was a wariness in his expression that was softly echoed by his own brother's expression. "What did you seek in return, by doing this?" He inquired, the red tinged eyelights of the skeleton searching their faces.

Papyrus made a confused noise, "Why nothing at all! Perhaps an apology and explanation of why you attacked us, but aside from that... Nothing really." The skeleton admitted, with a faint sheepishness.

His double scowled at the response, "Playing coy will gain you nothing." He informed him before his eyelights turned to look solely at Sans. "Whatever it is you want - we are not in a state to refuse you - so as you will."

Sans frowned, "really. we don't want you dead or anythin'. we already got enough problems as it is." Sans paused before continuing with the wink, "you could even call it a _skele-_ ton."

Papyrus released a miserable cry at the pun, and he swears he saw the other Papyrus twitch. He heard the other darker and shorter skeleton chortle at the joke.

_At least someone appreciated his humor._

The other Papyrus seemed to consider his words before replying, "I see."

He couldn't help but continue, "but it would help us out if we knew what was up with ya. having you two around would _double_ the pain, you know?"

"Sans, I'm not even going to acknowledge that one." Papyrus said, holding his hands to his face as if to hide from the pun. Sans' eyes crinkled in amusement at his own brother's reaction, as well at the disgruntled noise he heard from the other Papyrus.

"kids' right. that was shit." The other shorter skeleton agreed easily.

"i don't see you coming up with hilarious one-liners," Sans said critically.

The skeleton guffawed before responding, "are you _kidding?_ i've got material for days, like -"

" _ **Sans.**_ **"** The skeleton froze mid-sentence at the reprimand, before shutting his jaw and quietly apologizing. "sorry, boss."

Sans glanced at the two, bemused at the interaction, but didn't chase it. He instead chose the easier question, "so you're also sans, huh?"

"yep."

He heard Papyrus make a thoughtful noise as the gears in his own head struggled to fight through the cotton the mana exhaustion had imposed on him. _Something about this sounded terribly familiar._ But the skeleton couldn't put his phalange on it, the exact instance of this sort of event deftly escaping his grasp.

"Maybe you're us but from _the future?_ " Papyrus proposed. He heard one of the other skeletons scoff at the idea, before shooting it down easily. "Where we come from _never_ looked anything like this. Snowdin had never been so... innocent." He heard the other Papyrus settle on the descriptor, before frowning at the implication.

Where they came from was the same, but _different?_

Where they came from was definitely a similar Snowdin. The only thing that was different seemed to be how _violent_ things seemed to be, from what Sans could gleam from a couple of explanations about _why the library was instead an armory,_ or _why there wasn't anymore starlight in Waterfall._

"I can imagine why your LV is so high then," Papyrus spoke with a voice of understanding. Sans shivered at the reminder of their high LOVE, his judgement magic wanting to revolt at the mere concept. His brother, heedless to his reaction, continued. "Having to survive so many altercations, and having to fight to what's probably the death..."

Sans' mind full stopped at the word altercation. The prefix Alter. Alternate.

" _alternate universes,"_ he breathed in realization. He hadn't studied that concept in so long, he had almost completely forgotten!

"shit," Sans heard his own double swear, before murmuring. "tha' does sound about right..." he agreed, catching up to Sans' logic quickly.

"What are you talking about, whelp?" He heard the other Papyrus ask, and Sans didn't even let the other Sans talk before his mouth just started _going_.

"worlds that are completely changed by the different decisions we make, like uh for instance you deciding to go to hotland instead of waterfall. the concept that doing something like that - like, say because you did that, you find the love of your life and live happily ever after," he explained. "And then there would be a world where that  _didn't happen_ , you never making that choice. That's the many worlds interpretation theory, in a nutshell." S _tars,_ talking about things like this made Sans feel nostalgic. He had not explained concept like this since, well...

Sans didn't wanted to think about the labs.

"it's like... the same thin', only, maybe here asgore didn't go fuckin' batshit." The other Sans continued to explain, though mostly directed towards his own brother.

The concept that in their world asgore went _mad_ wasn't something that was lost on Sans. The skeleton filed away the information for later, and he watched comprehension bloom on the skulls of the other two skeletons.

"So if that's the case," The other Papyrus started, "How do we-"

A startlingly loud music sound cut the other skeleton off, and Papyrus abruptly fumbled with his battle body. Sans recognized it as Undyne's ring tone on his brother's (and his) phone. The skeleton finally retrieved the phone and seemed to come to a realization, fear striking his features.

"OH NO. I FORGOT TO TELL UNDYNE THAT I FOUND YOU." Papyrus said, mostly directed at Sans, he figured considering he was the only one that required finding amongst the four of them. "GIVE ME ON MOMENT." The skeleton requested, before all but running out of the living room to outside.

Sans could still hear his brother's speech as he spoke to Undyne, though it was heavily muffled though the walls of their home and only a quiet murmur between the three skeletons. He found the two staring at him, interest and suspicion held in their gazes.

"So how the fuck," the other other Papyrus started, his gaze locked with Sans' own. "Is a monster with no LOVE capable of _that_?" He asked.

"none of your business," was his immediate terse response. He caught his brother's replica raise an eyebone at his reply, mirth tangible.

"what you should probably be worried about _buddy,_ is how to get _home_." Sans deflected the other's interest, watching the other skeleton's eyelights darken at the reminder of their issue.

The other didn't immediately return to his question, and Sans felt relief that he had managed to chase off the others questions. Even if for a moment.

The other skeleton's gazes felt piercing, as if they _knew_ and it was an unsettling prospect. Hopefully he could continue to debunk their efforts until they found a way to return the two home.

Or everything RESET. Only a couple of days until that time, after all. The thought brought a wave of cold despair that Sans had not realized he had been free of until his thoughts had trailed back to the bane of his existence.

His eyelights traced the other two brothers as he fought to abate the feeling, focusing on the freshness of this situation instead of the inevitability of it shattering. Perhaps the other two would persist through the RESETS?

It would probably just wistful thinking, and he should relish the two while they were here.

"So how _did_ you two get here, anyway?" He asked, cutting the terse silence that had fallen between the three of them. He watched the brothers share a brief glance, before he found his own double shrugging. "beats the fuck outta me."

His eyelights swapped to the other skeleton before he replied, "I do not recall." There was a scowl on the other skeleton's expression at the admittance, and Sans shared the sentiment. Unfortunate.

Sans found himself flopping next to the other lanky skeleton with abandon, relishing in the skeletons offended look. "guess you two are stuck here until we figure out how to send you both back then."

The other Papyrus frowned further at his statement, eyelights narrowing and posture straightening. "You cannot hold us here against our will."

"wouldn't dream of it, pal." He waved off, and continued. "but you can at least chill out here until you're fully healed."

The other Papyrus scoffed, "like we _need_ full HP in this weak world of yours."

Remembrance of their real _lack of knowledge_ on this world, and Papyrus' probable desire to want the brothers stay bred his next words. "are you sure about that?"

And the thought of monsters with that kind of LOVE walking around where they pleased, used to a world full of violence set Sans on edge. They couldn't have these two going around and dusting other monsters. The closer they stayed, the better in Sans opinion.

He was met with absolute scorn and suspicion from the other Papyrus. The skeleton seemed to want to disagree, but was cut off by his brother's agreeance.

"he's right, boss. there's no harm in it." There was something indiscernible in his duplicate's expression that made Sans feel like the compliance wasn't really compliance. "I didn't ask for your fucking opinion, whelp." The lanky skeleton scolded, before continuing. "However, gaining reconnaissance isn't the worst plan." The other Papyrus agreed, however, and Sans couldn't argue with that.

He would have to keep his eyes on them, though.

"thanks boss," his double seemed to brighten at the backhanded praise. Anything else was lost on Sans had he shut his eyes, getting comfortable as the mana exhaustion truly started to settle into his bones. Sans didn't think he could move if he _tried._

"you guys might as well sleep then, given you're under house- _a_ - _rest._ "

There was a long beat of silence before he heard a familiar snort and witnessed as Papyrus' double _screeched._

"THE NEXT TIME I HAVE THE CHANCE, I **WILL** DUST YOU."


	3. Do You Feel That Awful Crawling on Your Back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so being fixed later fucking shit dude

The loud and softer mirror image of his brother returned too quickly to allow any further interrogation to take place. Sans - not the one in blue that had almost  _murdered his brother_ , and he wasn't going to let that go lightly anytime soon. if he could, he would dust the bastard where he stood if his previous efforts didn't show how impossible that was - felt his brother's irritation more than seeing any physical cues.

***Even with his current injuries his brother easily maintained his facade of The Captain of the Royal Guard, the unknowns of the situation making anything else a risk. He understood his brother's logic and easily followed suit.

Boss would kick his ass after this was all over if he didn't.

But his brother was irritated at the loss of opportunity. His alternate was slippery in every sense of the word, even with the carelessness he displayed in his actions and during his fight. The chance for the both of him to corner the skeleton would probably be slim.

A part of him rationalized that the other Sans seemed so much like  _him_. Sans knew himself - knew how he used to be  _before -_  and knew that even in their best efforts they would have only gotten so much out of him.

He still mourned the lost opportunity but there was nothing more to be done then to lie in wait for the skeleton's next slip up. He sent his brother the best he could do for a comforting look when the other two skeletons were looking elsewhere.

Papyrus didn't react, but a small amount of tension in his form gave way and the skeleton felt absolutely successful.

His mind wandered back to the state of the other Sans in this world, a shattered mirror that reminded him of himself in all of the worst ways. From the high strung look of the other skeleton despite his attempts to slouch and appear relaxed, to the dull unfocused eyelights over bruised eye sockets speaking a severe lack of sleep. It reminded him of looking in the mirror back  _then_ , and that sent more than enough warning bells across his mind.

Insane fighting prowess aside, there was something  _wrong_  with him. Something haunting him, crushing the skeleton beneath its weight.

Sans remembered the burden of his own sins doing the very same, strangling the life out of him. Leaving him feeling worn so thin, losing the ability to focus on anything but his sins. Leaving him struggling to do the most minor of tasks, refusing to even get up from bed on most days despite how badly Papyrus threatened to beat him.

Leaving him  _begging for death._

Perhaps he was simply projecting, but the way Boss had looked at the skeleton didn't make him feel alone in that presumption.

A loud exclamation came from the other Papyrus, drawing his attention back to the skeleton's babbling. "If we are to continue having a discussion, it would be imperative that we not all have the same names," the skeleton told them.

Sans could get down with that. Calling his alternates  _the other Sans_  and  _the other Papyrus_ was too much of a hassle for him.

"good idea bro," the blue laden Sans agreed. A glance in his brother's direction informed him of how disinterested Boss was with the concept. Nicknaming would probably happen sooner or later regardless of what happened, if they ended up staying around more than a few days, so Sans wouldn't fight the acceleration of it.

Better to just get shit out of the way, in his eyes.

"LUCKILY FOR YOU! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS COME UP WITH NICKNAMES FOR YOU TWO!" The skeleton seemed to vibrate in excitement.

"you what." came out of his mouth before he really registered the words. Oh stars, Boss was going to lose his shit if they were uncomplimentary. Or anything aside from Great and Terrible Master, most likely.

It was that one time he had watched Snowdrake get thrown off that cliff. Kind of hilarious but also morbidly fascinating to see how his body would  _break_ when it hit the ground.

His gruesome thoughts were cut off with the other Papyrus' declaration of, "YOU!" directed towards himself.

"The red Sans, we'll call you "Red"!" The skeleton exclaimed excitedly. There was a moment for the naming to really  _register_ , and another long moment for Sans to get past his sheer disbelief at the other monster. "are you fuckin' kiddin' me," was the first natural response to come out of his mouth.

He'd actually been named by fucking Asgore. There was no way that was  _anything else._

Sans-  _Red now_ ,  _fucking stars on fire_  - caught the widening of Sans' grin at the naming. The fucking  _bastard_.

He would find a way to kill him. Somehow, he vowed.

Red didn't have the time to catch his brother's reaction before the skeleton loudly proclaimed at his brother, gesturing widely with the grace of a goddamn tsunderplane. "My handsome but rough around the edges double, shall be called "Edge"! NYEH HEH HEH." The skeleton seemed  _proud_ of his naming choices.

Red saw his brother -  _Edge_ , oh god the puns would be endless with that fucking name - stand up with indignation and molten fury emanating from his very SOUL.

" _I will definitely fucking not!"_  He protested.

"I will not tolerate such language!" His mirror image countered, hands on his hips in the same irritated posture that left Red wanting to laugh at the ridiculousness of  _everything._ If the other Papyrus wasn't being protected by Sans, he would have been  _dusted_ at the sheer  _gall_.

 _No one had given Edge this much shit in_ _**years.** _

Red could see his bother holding back his rage, close to physically restraining himself from mauling the other monster.

He heard Sans guffaw, probably finding humor in the situation like he was. However, the laugh  _didn't stop_  and he caught Edge's posture shifting towards Sans. He turned his own gaze towards the skeleton, took at the skeleton laughing with excess magic secreting from his eyes.

It took a second for Red to hear the hysteria creeping into the other's laughter that sent  _cold_ down his spine. Papyrus seemed to even catch it, asking if his brother was alright. At the inquiry the skeleton seemed to get a hold of himself after a moment, wiping the tears away and brushing off the event with a half hearted joke that was delivered well.

Papyrus seemed reassured, but Red knew better. Edge knew better.

Red swallowed the excess magic in his mouth, caused by his distress. He sent a look towards his brother, and found him with the same flash of unease that he felt himself.

Seeming to brush off the event entirely, and Red almost admired how  _thick_  he seemed to be, Papyrus inquired. "Perhaps now that we've all settled we should talk about how you two got here?"

Sans replied before either of the darker brothers could get a word in, "i already asked them while you were talking with undyne, pap. they don't remember anything weird happening."

"Really? Hmm..." The skeleton seemed thoughtful at the declaration. "Well then, perhaps we should go over what happened before you disappeared? Maybe something you forgot or didn't think too heavily on?'

Red blinked in surprise at the inquiry, unexpecting Papyrus' thoughtfulness or consideration. Red replied, sparing his brother the trouble. "i mean, 't was nothin' out of the ordinary. we'd just finishing our rounds as normal together. right, boss?"

Edge nodded in affirmation.

Papyrus seemed thoughtful for a moment, before turning to his brother. "What about you Sans? You  _were_ missing this morning." He pointed out with an accusing tone. Sans flinched at the reminder.

 _Oh?_  Red perked up in interest, his gaze boring onto the other skeleton. So  _he_ was the reason, then.

Or at least, looking incredibly likely to be.

"i mean, maybe." Sans agreed. Red's eyelights flashed in surprise at the easy admittance. The skeleton seemed almost sheepish as he continued, "i don't remember anything before waking up near the ruins though. i don't know how i got there, either."

Definitely too elaborate to be anything but a half lie, Red reasoned, but far too vague to not be hiding something. The initial conceding of information was to throw them off the trail. It was clever, and probably worked for Papyrus, but not for Red. He had been playing this game far too long to fall for something like that. It takes a liar to know a liar, afterall.

By Edge's burning gaze, he seemed to come to the same conclusion. However, the skeleton knew he couldn't call Sans out of his lie. It wouldn't do them any good, they needed to trap him with something more solid. More concrete.

However, he could file the lie away for later. Hopefully there wouldn't be a later, but Red knew first and foremost to hope for the best, expect the absolute fucking worst. Luck had never been kind to him, and Red had literally had that lesson beaten into him.

"Then we have no leads." Papyrus frowned at the loss. "Maybe it had to do with the world you came from?"

It definitely didn't, but Red was willing to throw the skeleton that reminded him of Boss when he was a babybones a bone. A part of him snickered at his own mental pun. "maybe," he spoke.

From what little emotion he could decipher from his brother, he was absolutely  _scandalized_  that Red was enabling this farce. The edge's of Red's grin went a little higher.

He had to get his kicks from  _somewhere._

"What is it like?" Papyrus asked, all curiosity and questions.

Red didn't really have to think before the words started pouring out his mouth. "it fucking sucks," he admitted easily. And it was absolutely true. "the underground is a goddamn  _hot mess_ , and the only thing that's holding it together is Asgore and The Royal Guard." he told the skeleton, and he shot a look towards his brother as he continued. "and no fucking offense but that just isn't  _enough_. it's a pit."

"None taken," Edge replied. Even if he hadn't made an effort to let his brother know he wasn't taking a dig at  _him_  he probably would have knew - but his brother was injured. And Edge was a cranky bitch when he was injured and Red wasn't taking his chances, thanks.

Not in this fucking mess.

He didn't give Papyrus a chance to ask anything as he continued, "like. okay the fact that you guys have fucking kids just  _walking around on the street,_ that you just have  _presents and shit just out in the open,_  walking out in the open like that  _injured_ -" Red stopped, struggling to verbalize the fucking  _weirdness_  of it all.

Edge finished for him, "its unheard of where we come from. The children would be killed for their XP, everything would be taken or vandalized,  _everything_ would be destroyed. For daring to walk out in the open while weakened, _we would have been slaughtered._ " He told them, voice even and detached. Red nodded.

The shit outside was fucking  _insane._

Red saw Sans' eyelights fall to become an empty void. Red saw Papyrus' expression melt into something of  _horror_. Papyrus murmured something in his confusion and terror of what Edge had revealed to him that was lost to Red as Sans spoke.

"so, your world is clambering for LOVE, then?"

Red smirked at his alternate's speed to connect the dots. "exactly. It's kill or be killed - that is the motto of our king." His expression twisted into something cruel as he spoke, "and if not, well... you bite the  _dust_ pretty fast."

His intimidation was shattered as a red coloured bone narrowly avoided his skull, embedding itself into the wall inches away from his face. "b-boss!"

" _You'll_ be fucking dust if you say any more of those shitty jokes." Edge threatened. Red shrank back and apologized, he should have known better not to test his brother's patience with his current injuries. Distantly, he heard Papyrus scold his brother.

Fucking  _suicidal idiot._

"I can do whatever the fuck I want," he heard Edge say as Red watched the bone disintegrate. The skeleton sighed in relief, before focusing on the argument unfolding before him.

"You shouldn't do that!  _He's your brother!"_  Papyrus insisted, as if that meant anything. It meant something to  _Red_ , but in his world in general blood ties were nothing but chains. They were scorned upon and nothing but a weakness. A vulnerability.

He heard Edge scoff, and watched him refuse to even dignify that with a response, instead picking the dirt from his clawed hands. Papyrus seemed to only get more riled up at his reaction, continuing, "Even if your world is so horrible, you still shouldn't treat each other like that!" He insisted.

Red watched the last sliver of restraint his brother have fall before he shot up from his position, eyelights  _blazing_ , and the hum of magic in the air. "You have no fucking  _right_  to tell me how to treat my brother. You have no fucking  _right_ to tell me that my "world" is fucking shit. Fuck  _you_." The weight of the magic in the air was heady, and he saw Sans' eyelight glimmering blue and yellow, waiting for the need to counterattack but not getting in the way.  _Coward._

Edge continued on his tirade, and his brother was  _pissed._  " _Your_  world is fucking shit, you know that? So incredibly  _weak!"_  The skeleton spat, disgusted. "I could slaughter  _everyone in this fucking village_ if I fucking wanted to, without breaking a sweat!" He claimed boisterously.

At that threat, Sans was up in a flash. The skeleton  _blurred_  and found himself in between the two skeletons, all but growling.

"is that a threat?" He asked, his tone low and accentuated by his magic. "because if it is..."

**"i ' l l  k i l l  y o u  w h e r e  y o u  s t a n d ."**

Red moved closer to his brother at the threat, sweating as the temperature of the room dramatically dropped. His brother didn't seem to react, but Red could see the minute tightening of his posture. The small, nearly imperceptible tells to the eyes of anyone who was not as familiar with his brother as he.  He was playing a dangerous game here. His brother was  _injured_ and picking a fight with a monster that almost killed him. Red cursed, ready to grab his brother and teleport as far away as possible at a moments notice.

Edge replied, calmly, as if he wasn't  _staring death in the face._  "Of course, unless all of the monsters here without any LOVE are strong as you." His tone was saccharine with a cruel edge. "But if that were the case, you wouldn't have felt the need to  _deflect_  like a fool."

Edge had no way of knowing that. He was bluffing.

Sans' eyelight returned for a second, his expression startled. And  _oh, his boss was fucking_ _ **good**_ **.**  Red felt himself grinning, a wave of something triumphant burning in his SOUL. It was accompanied by a touch of pride at his brother's cunning.

Papyrus suddenly spoke, surprising most of them to some degree. "I must agree, since we are bringing up the topic." The skeleton admitted, seeming to completely  _ignore_ the tension in the room, aside from a drop of sweat lining his skull. (Most likely from the sheer magical pressure those two were eminatting.)

"The way you fought was quite amazing!" Papyrus complimented, "but it was also... I didn't know you could do that. You were incredible and frightening, Sans." He admitted, the skeleton looking at his brother with pleading eyes. "Why haven't you told me you could fight like that?"

Sans eyelights returned completely at his brother's question, thin pinpricks of light hardly visible in the bright room. The skeleton was caught.

"it just never came up paps," Sans weakly deflected. Red heard his brother scoff, distaste radiating from the skeleton before he spoke.

"DISGUSTING." Edge spat seemingly incensed, " _You're lying to him._ "

Edge didn't stop with just the accusation, "Lying about what happened; why we're here. Lying about your fighting ability." He listed off with a count of clawed phalanges. Edge's red gaze was cutting and accusatory as he spoke, " _Maybe everyone in this world is weak because they're all full of lies like you._ "

Red winced, that was a low blow.

Sans' eyelights went completely dark again, but were not the intimidating abyss they had been previously. Red was worried Edge pushed a little too hard on that one. It hit a little too close to home ~~, even for him~~.

He knew Edge didn't forgive him for hiding everything, especially after what had happened, and the accusations  _burned_.

Papyrus' booming voice broke him out of him lament, coming to his brother's aid. "HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE MY BROTHER OF LYING! He wouldn't tell me about his fighting ability probably because he did not want me to know he was cooler than The Great Papyrus. NYEH HEH HEH!"

Sans said nothing.

"He definitely wouldn't lie about something important like why you two are here! Would you Sans?"

Sans said nothing.

"...Sans?" There was a fragility in Papyrus' voice that made something in Red's SOUL  _ache._

There was a beat before the skeleton vanished in front of their eyes with a high pitched noise. Red swore loudly, that  _fucking coward._

" _COWARD._ " Edge echoed his thoughts.

"HE JUST!! VANISHED!! WHERE DID HE GO!?" Papyrus asked, astonished at his brother's disappearing act. He must've not told him about the shortcuts either, not that Red was remotely surprised at the realization.

Sans probably didn't tell him anything.

(fuck, with a brother like papyrus, so innocent, red couldn't exactly blame him. he would want to keep him that way if he could.)

"We have to find him," Edge growled in irritation. " _He's the reason we're here._  Sans, can you locate him?"

Red was hesitant, but submitted to the request. "i'm not quite sure, but i can give it a shot, boss."

"I'LL KEEP AN EYE ON HIS BROTHER IN CASE WE NEED LEVERAGE. GO." The skeleton didn't need to be told twice, focusing on the magical signature that was left in the room to guide him.

"LEVERAGE!?" Papyrus squawked indignantly. Red ignored him, the skeleton concentrating on the feeling of the other's magic before it completely dissipated.

This would do.

"yes, boss." 

He shortcutted, his form vanishing in thin air with a low whine.


	4. Just Another Shattered Flower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> u guys are so nice thank u

Trying to shortcut to a person instead of a place was a lot more difficult in Red's experience. It required a good sense of the monster's SOUL and a familiarity that they could latch onto.

Red had been hoping that, well given that Sans was  _him_ , that it wouldn't be too hard.

And if not, well, it wouldn't be the first time he fucked up.

Red's SOUL lept in his chest as he appeared several feet above ground before dropping feet first into a graveled flooring. Red swore loudly before getting back to his feet, before dusting himself off and CHECKing his HP. He'd only taken 0.5HP from the fall but that made him grit his teeth in annoyance. Even if this world wasn't as brutal as his own, taking shots like that was risky. He didn't have the luxury of losing HP for free.

Edge was going to kill him.

Red shook himself from his thoughts, noticing he was in the RUINS. Why would the skeleton have come _here_? He shouldn't have been  _that far_ from where Sans was. He had grasped onto something that held the same  _off_ quality that his own magic and Sans' seemed to permeate. Something that he had no doubt had to relate to his ability to shortcut, and at the beginning of it,  _him._

Now wasn't the time to think of shit like that though. He had a job to do.

He wandered forward, looking around in the darkened caved walls of the RUINS before spotting a yellow shout of colour in the purpled walls. He frowned, was the human around here? Why was the flower without the kid?

"Howdy!" the flower greeted him cheerfully, before taking a look at him. The flower's face dropped as soon as it recognized him. "Oh. It's  _you._ "

"wha' the fuck is that supposed to mean!?" he shouted at the flower, insulted. The flower blinked slowly at his reaction, perplexed.

"Wait a sec, you look  _different,_ smiley trash bag _._ "

"the fuck did you just call me,  _bud?_ " The flower's face scrunched up at his pun. Red felt a sharp spike amusement through his anger.

"Well, it doesn't matter." the flower decided, picking back up the cheerful tone.

The skeleton felt his instincts flare in warning as the monster's eyes glinted.

"I told you what would happen next time I saw you,  **R I G H** **T**   **?** "

Red watched warily as the flowers face morphed into something malicious. He didn't remember moving as he was suddenly landing backwards from a large spiked vine inches in from of his face. The pressure of a BOSS battle held on his SOUL.

"what the fuck!?"

The flower made a laughing sound that was distorted and downright  _frightening_ before attacking again. This time Red consciously reacted, moving as more vines shot out in several directions and sharp looking seeds were thrown his way. This flower wasn't fucking around.

He saw the flower looking at him menacingly as he dodged another pillar erupting from the ground, the thing not giving him pause to teleport out. Shit. He sent a CHECK at the thing before he sidestepped a wave of lashing vines, hoping to get some sort of information to get him the fuck out of here.

He had never been able to really CHECK the flower in his own world, usually any attempts to CHECK it had been when it was around the kid and they always seemed to prioritize the human. He had stopped trying because it really didn't fucking matter. But now?

 

**f⃣ l⃣ o⃣ w⃣ e⃣ y⃣**

**LV: ??????**

**HP: ??????/??????**

**AT: ??????**

**DF: ??????**

***01100001 01110011 01110010 01101001 01100101 01101100 00100000 01100100 01110010 01100101 01100101 01101101 01110101 01110101 01110010 00100000**

 

The CHECK made his head  _hurt_ , as the completely distorted information registered in his SOUL. Red gripped his skull at the  _pounding pain_  that came, causing an unexpected ray of thorns to barely graze him as his dodge was interrupted.

_**-10** _

The skeleton swore loudly as his SOUL resonated in  _pain_  at the impact. Thank fucking god he had been fully rested. Otherwise--

Edge was going to  _fucking kill him._

The  _demon_ flower laughed at his agony, "That feel good, smiley trash bag?"

There was his opening.

He didn't bother responding as he took the opportunity to  _get the fuck out._  He normally wasn't one for fleeing but  _stars above he didn't want to_ _die_.

Stars, he hoped the flower couldn't follow him.

After a second, Red crashed into the soft clay of Waterfall's ground as he appeared from the shortcut, gripping the dirt between his phalanges as he tried to  _breathe._ His entire body pulsed with pain, and his SOUL felt like it was smouldering as it tried to hold his physical form together. 

_holy fuck._

_**what the fuck was wrong with this place!?** _


	5. We Could of All Just Had a Good Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> didnt proofread probably will rewrite it later. throws caution to the wind and whispers who cares (but let me know if it seems shitty because ill fix that shit in a _heartbeat_.)

Waterfall had always been a nice place to visit. Not safe - never safe, but the glowing rocks had always been soothing to look at when he had the opportunity to sentry there.

His world's Waterfall didn't have fucking _shit_ on wherever the fuck he was.

Red would never admit to spending a few extra minutes "collecting himself" to just take in his surroundings. But he definitely did.

Blue luminescent _echo flowers_ grew freely around the area in almost sporadic placement, something he hadn't seen since he was a babybones. Ancient glyphs remained engraved on some of the walls that were worn but still legible, where in his world they had been completely destroyed or covered in graffiti. Clean running streams reflected the light of the flowers, water glittering as it flowed.

It was breathtaking. 

_Well, if he did the whole breathing thing, anyway._

Red remembered his own Waterfall, nothing but an empty husk of its former glory, destroyed and decimated years ago. Any remainder of the echo flowers that bloomed, all of them having been ripped from the soil of waterfall long ago, was immediately cultivated and sold off to the highest bidder or used to make some sort of illegal drug. He didn't recall how it happened - maybe it had happened in the span of years; maybe days - it could have been anything and everything. From an experiment gone wrong to the collateral damage of a drug war, it was too easy for things to break where he came from. Anything that existed for too long had to be resistant to it.

Red had learned that the hard way.

It was a fucking _shame_ , the skeleton reflected as he tried to muster the will to _fucking move._ His double was still hiding and boss was working on a delicate time frame. He didn't have time to fuck around, but the only thing Red wanted to do right now was lay here and maybe nap.

Boss would absolutely kick his ass if he did that.

However, his appreciation of his surroundings rewarded him greatly when a flash of blue, too light to be an echo flower caught his eye. Red studied it for a moment, before conceding that his eye lights weren't playing tricks on him.

_well wasn't that some shit._

Thank the stars, he wasn't in a searching mood anyway.

The skeleton didn't trust himself to shortcut up to the other and not absolutely deplete his mana. Not after all the fighting he had already done today. Red cursed his shit stamina. Being a glass cannon had its draw backs.

And the last time he had tried shortcutting when he was this fucked up, he had ended in the _void_. He had no intention of going back to that fucking hell. _ever._

That meant Red had to limp up to the other skeleton, and when he could pay the other back for this shit he was absolutely going to get him. He would have to detach his legs if boss didn't decide to just shatter them. Make him experience this shit, because fuck.

He hadn't gotten this fucked up since his last fight with Edge. And the bastard had the decency to carry him after.

The other skeleton showed no response to his silent arrival, which was both good and worrying. He didn't want to scare the other - his state too unpredictable and Red could absolutely _not_ afford to even take a strong gust of wind to the face right now.

Fuck, he should have just immediately gone back to Edge. What the fuck was he even doing right now, putting himself in range of a possible hostile when he was vulnerable.

Edge was going to fucking kill him. And then bring his SOUL back and then kill him _again_.

He needed to appear non hostile and decided the best course of action would be to let himself known before he got to close. He needed to gauge the others attack and be _ready_ to flee at the first sign of attack.

Red backed up a couple of steps, allowing his sneakers to crunch against the gravel on Waterfall's plato. He waited for a couple of artificial breaths, waiting for the other to react.

Sans didn't. The bastard.

Okay then, plan B.

Try and talk to him and hope he doesn't teleport away since there's no fucking way Red could stop the other Sans from teleporting even under normal circumstances, let alone his current condition.

Red wished for once in his life he wasn't the absolute _worst_ at _talking to people._

At least he had the advantage of it being _himself_ he needed to talk to. A shittier, inferior version but pretty much all the same parts if he had gauged the other correctly.

"I get it, ya know." was the first thing to come out of his mouth. "It's fucking stupid as hell, i learned that the hard way, but i get it."

He heard the creak of bones and saw the tensening of the other's figure. He hadn't shortcutted yet. Good.

"your bro reminded me of paps when he was a babybones, like _crazy_ resemblance." His tone was wistful as he spoke, "wanting to help anyone he could. even if they tried to fuckin' murder him a couple of minutes ago." Red snorted fondly at the thought, a memory brushing against his thoughts. "i tried to protect him too back then - until i couldn't. until i just..."

The skeleton trailed off, the rest of the topic causing his mouth to feel like lead. The other didn't try to get him to finish, only an occasional flicker of dull eyelights informing him the the other skeleton was even aware of his presence. Red was thankful.

He remembered when he had been so close to giving up he had left his brother on his own. Struggling so hard with his own  _stupid shit_ that he had left the light that had kept him going for so long darken under his fingertips. When his brother had been so determined to join the Royal Guard, and had truly started dedicating his efforts to it with everything he had. After he started killing as many as he could, fighting and grasping at as much EXP to meet the Guard's high LOVE requirement for entry. Papyrus had been alone, failing to cope with the state of his SOUL while Sans had stood by,  _doing nothing._ Drowning in self-pity.

_n e v e r  a g a i n._

The cigarette easily broke in half before he had a chance to light it. Red threw the other half on the ground, giving up on the coping mechanism. He was too much of a mess right now for that shit to even take the _edge_ off. heh.

Stars, he was going to have such a good time with boss' new nickname.

"i don't think he'll ever forgive me for it. i think he might've taken his anger out from me on you too, probably." Red explained.

"even when it came to the labs and shit," he caught the movement of Sans visibly flinching at the mention, "i couldn't hide tha' from 'em either. not after everything got... worse." Red grimace at the memory. The first round of resets had been bad on him.

"i jus' couldn't _handle it._ and boss couldn't handle me givin' out on 'em. we needed each other ta survive." Reds' grimace turned into something more like a smile but not quite there, "still do."

" 'm not gonna pretend its my business what you do with your bro. he's not _mine._ and i dont have the right to say shit. but i'll tell you tha' if he's anythin' like my Papyrus at all, that its gonna end up stabbing 'em in the back." _literally,_ Red thought morbidly.

"fuck, i never told 'em about the fuckin' resets and god knows when _that_ shoe is gonna drop. he'll fucking kill me." Red told him a tone mirth and poorly concealed misery because _why fucking bother_.

Half of him was still convinced this was a weird Spider Cider trip. Or a dream. Probably the first though.

Red continued without missing a beat, "but don't take boss' shit personally. he was talkin' more ta me, than you probably." There was a long silence after he spoke, where he didn't just want to keep fucking talking because stars he hadn't talked about any of this shit to anyone besides Edge and it set him _on edge._

That so wasn't ever going to get old.

"he was right." the other Sans spoke quietly for the first time since Red started fuckin' spillin' his guts, interrupting his amusement at the pun. "i lied to him. again and again."

Sans' voice sounded empty. Shaken.

"i don't deserve him."

 _its not your job to decide what you deserve, is it?_ Red recalled Edge's words from not even a week ago, soothing him when he had said the exact same thing.

Red understood, and opened his jaw to parrot his boss' words before Sans spoke before him.

 _"_ _ **i could have killed him.**_ **"** there was horror and hysteria creeping back into his double's voice. Red needed to calm him down before the skeleton freaked out and shortcutted somewhere else. he didn't understand what the fuck had been wrong with his other self that had made him lose himself in battle like that, but Red knew one thing.

"but ya didn't." he pointed out helpfully. "he's still alive," _hopefully assuming Edge hadn't decided to dispose of him yet._ "and," Red continued, putting a hand on the other as a supportive gesture (or at least that's what he would have done if he was comforting edge right now.) "he's back home waitin' for ya probably worried outta his mind." if he was anything like his own boss, even if the bastard tried to hide it. That reminder seemed to visibly ground the other skeleton from what he could see as his eye lights flickered back to life dimly. Red was pleased that his attempt at reassurance seemed to be successful.

_thank the fucking stars._

"but none of tha' shit is any of my business, for tha' record." Red told the other, conspiratorially. "our only business is gettin' the fuck home. after that, you can go fuck your brother for all i care."

Sans, for all his eerie composure, sputtered at his comment.

It wasn't until then that the other skeleton got a look at him, and-

" _holy fuck,_ what happened to you!?"

"lets say i met a flower, and he wiped the _florist_ with me." Red half-joked, "lemme be the first to tell ya that yer flowey is a fucking _nightmare_."

"you met _flowey?_ stars pal," Sans swore again, getting up from his position to look over the other proper. "why didn't you _run? are you crazy?"_

"whattaya mean "am i crazy"? in my world that flower wouldn't hurt a fucking fly. how was i supposed ta know he was some fucked up boss monster." the skeleton grumbled as the other CHECKed him multiple times. Sans shook his head in disbelief.

"stars just, here let me..." the monster dug into his own pockets to present a couple of pieces of Monster Candy to him. Red raised a brow bone at the gesture as it was shoved into his hands. "they won't raise your HP - not with that kind of extensive damage - but they'll give you a boost so you don't fall over on the spot." the monster swore softly again as he continued to take in the other's damaged form.

Red eyed the candies thrown in his hand, _candy of all fucking things,_ and after a moment of deliberation he unwrapped them and ate them slowly.

If his other self wanted to harm him, that window of opportunity had been like ten minutes ago. Or an hour ago in their first meeting, if he was being realistic. Poison would just be absurd at this point, and he would kill to be sedated, so Red would take his chances.

A couple more CHECKs passed over him from his other self, and the projection of _worry_ that he could feel emanating from the other's SOUL due to proximity startled him. Red wasn't used to _any_ monsters besides his brother being close enough to expose his emotions so freely, and he very rarely did so.

"we can go back and get papyrus to heal you, but he probably won't be able to do anything too strenuous after already healing edge. but he can keep you stable." Sans told him, asking after a moment. "will you be okay if i shortcut you?"

"yeah, jus' get it over with." Red waved the other skeleton off. He was used to pain, he could handle what would probably occur after the shortcut. What he couldn't handle was the mana depletion. Magic was too vital in skeletons to be consumed entirely.

Letting his mana fall to zero would most likely kill him, if not leave him with half of a body.

Red felt like he could've made a pun with that if didn't feel like his vertebrae were burning, leaving his thoughts less clear than usual. Which wasn't saying much these days.

"...and hey." the slightly shorter skeleton looked at him, eyelights locking his own.

"thanks. seriously."

"ya can repay me by getting our asses home," he waved off San's thanks, uncomfortable with the other's appreciation, even if it wasn't exuberant.

In his own underground, gratitudes were meaningless pleasantries. They had been culturally thrown aside, and were largely unused in favor of Monsters merely paying their dues. If you were saved by another Monster, or even helped, returning the favor was your gratitude. That was simply the way things worked. It rendered the other skeleton's attempts at conveying his thanks in words leaving him feeling largely uncomfortable.

There was a moment before the other Sans grabbed his arm and he was pulled by the other's magic into darkness and static. There was the briefest pause, the Void brushing against his senses for a moment before reality bled back around them. Red distantly heard a high pitched whine as the world that had just only recently filled his senses blurred and spun _._ It only took another moment before his legs gave out beneath him. He felt the other skeleton's hands on him, supporting him as Red just focused on the hot knives driven through his body at the sharp movement.

Shortcuts and injuries didn't mix, Red had learned that a long time ago. Nevertheless, Red  _swore._

Once all the noise stopped ringing, and the world was only mildly fuzzy, did Red perceive the deadly intent of Edge's magic drowning his senses and the final moments of something distantly _crashing._

_**"What the fuck did you do to him!?"** _


	6. And Here I Stand Ready to Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

* * *

 

 

Immediately after Sans shortcutted the other skeleton back to his and Papyrus' home, Red had all but screamed in agony. Sans had anticipated it, knowing himself from experience just how _bad_ of an idea it was to try shortcutting wounded on low HP, but it didn't make it any less horrible.

Sans faintly regretted not trying to just take the skeleton home on foot, hearing Red's groans of agony as his SOUL tried to stabilize itself after the displacement of time and space. He knew that it would have been a fruitless struggle and probably leaving the skeleton just as unstable and worn, but it still tore him.

Sans knew what it felt like and he didn't wish it upon anyone.

The skeleton sent a CHECK at his rougher double, visibly cringing as he saw the stats.

 

S **ans**

**LV: 6**

**HP: 0.5/1**

**AT: 12**

**DF: 5**

***Not as weak as you might think.**

 

Stars, Red was practically _asking_ to be killed by a strong breeze with that HP. Not that it would, but still.

_DING._

There was a low whistling sound following the sound of an ATTACK. Sans _moved_ back as soon as he heard the offending noise, barely dodging a red object aimed directly at his chest. If he didn't have an insane amount of practice dodging fast attacks he would be _dust_.

Sans would never thank the kid for _**anything**_ but even he could admit it was saving his ass today.

He spotted Edge at the top of the stairs, less exhausted looking than he had seen him prior and absolutely livid. The skeleton painted a terrifying visage, his SOUL strongly emanating his _rage_ in a way that was nearly tangible, making the air thick and cloying. Sans sweated from the atmosphere alone, taking a step back from Red, as well as away from Edge.

The tallest skeletons wrath seemed to manifest in a deadly array of bones pointed directly at Sans, before he spoke.

_**"What the fuck did you do to him!?"** _

Sans shortcutted before the bones had a chance to graze him, hearing something shatter behind him - _oh that was probably the TV. Paps will be so upset -_ as it registered that it looked like he had probably almost killed Red. _shit._

 _And where the hell was Papyrus!?_ What had he been thinking leaving him alone with these alternates, they were variables and he had no clue what they were capable of. Of what they wanted.

(he mentally avoided the possibility of his brother being dead at all costs. He couldn't do it right now. _He couldn't._ )

Another array of bones, not as complex but just as strong, possibly a bit more sporadic came to him and he swore because he didn't know if he would be able to react fast enough after his momentary distraction. He started to move -

A darker flash of red and black blocked his vision, halting his movement for a second. He stood uncomprehendingly as Red shakily stood in front of him, trembling in front of an array of bones that had completely frozen before hitting him.

Absentmindedly he considered that the control on ones magic to stop mid attack like that, to _react_ in that fashion was no small feat. On the contrary.

"SANS!? What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Red swayed and Sans reactively caught the skeleton as they fell, hearing the other laugh lowly as he felt the other tremble. He glanced back up to Edge who looked shaken by his brother's reaction, if not absolutely furious still. Edge appeared at his side, tearing the other out of his arms despite Red's groan at the movement.

"shit - fuck." the skeleton swore at the movement, "boss don't... it wasn't him. don't."

Edge's eyelights looked back up at him, accusingly, before gazing back down at his brother. His gaze seemed to soften, if only minutely. "You're fucking lucky I'm used to your ass doing stupid shit like this, runt."

"heh, what can i say... i like to keep ya on the tibia toes."

Sans snorted.

Edge dropped him without any sign of remorse. The skeleton's head smacked loudly against the floor.

Red swore loudly in pain, before hissing out "okay i deserved that but _fuck you._ "

"You knew what would happen. I'm going to go grab my obnoxious alternate to heal you, _stay there._ " Edge demanded, eyelights blazing dark red as he looked at Red, and then pointedly at Sans. "And if you so much as _breathe_ on my brother I will _not let him hold me back_."

If Edge was grabbing Papyrus then he was probably alright, just locked in a closet or something. He nodded halfheartedly at the threat, grinning wider as the skeleton's expression tightened, irritated.

It was still fun to rile up Papyrus, even if this one was a cold blooded murderer, he mused.

Sans surveyed the damage as the other transversed back up the stairs, and _god_ Edgelord hadn't held back. That was definitely a hole in the wall into the kitchen that _hadn't_ been there before. And the couch and tv were absolutely ruined.

~~if the world wasn't going to reset in two days he would almost be concerned.~~

Papyrus would be pretty bummed out at the damage.

Sans heard a 'NYEH' and some rumbling upstairs quickly before the door to Papyrus' bedroom opened with a slam with his brother coming out, Edge holding a sharpened bone close to his back. Sans felt his right eye glow as he was flooded with anger, the nerve of him to threaten Papyrus was -

Well, he wouldn't get hasty. Edge was probably _on edge_ since his brother was hurt, and wasn't thinking completely right. He understood.

A gaster blaster materialized pointed at Edge at point blank and both of them froze, Edge's eyelights glowing fiercer in response to the threat. Papyrus looked concerned, if not frightened.

_Sorry paps._

"Put the bone down." Sans requested, his right eyelight _burning_ as he tried to physically hold in signs of his anger as much as possible. Edge regarded him and the blaster for a moment, then looked back to Papyrus almost thoughtfully.

The blaster began to charge.

"SANS! STOP THAT!"

The growing energy in the mouth of the blaster died down at his brother's request, but he didn't dispel the gaster blaster just yet. Edge seemed to grit his filed teeth in frustration before banishing the bone.

He dematerialized the gaster blaster instantly after he did so. Edge looked at him with a bewildered expression, before his gaze fell back to his brother.

Papyrus immediately ran down as he spotted the gravely wounded skeleton, not sparing the skeleton who had previously been threatening him a glance. '"SANS! WHAT HAPPENED!?"

"he ran into some trouble while he was looking for me, i'm pretty sure. sorry again for that, pal."

"'s fine i fucked up. was bein' stupid." The injured skeleton mumbled as Papyrus took a better look at him, pulling away the thick coat that was dripping with marrow. Red looked directly at Edge who had closed the gap, now relatively close to the other skeletons now. "sorry boss."

"Don't fucking apologize, just don't do it again you fool." The barbs had no heat, as Edge's tense composure dropped an infinitesimal amount at Red being healed. If Sans hadn't been so good at reading monsters ~~hadn't lived the same days over and over again long enough to learn the universal tells of monsters after much experimentation and observation,~~ he wouldn't have noticed.

Despite seeming to be a jerk, it seemed like the guy wasn't so bad ~~for a murderer~~.

~~did he really have the right to judge him?~~

The green glow emanating from Papyrus' hands stuttered to a stop, not half way through closing up the other's wounds. His brother's face was exhausted and covered in sweat from the toll the magic had taken on him as he apologized. "IM SORRY! I've spent all the magic I can for right now healing. I can fix you up with some first aid, but I am unfortunately... incapable of healing you further. I apologize." Papyrus seemed upset at the admission, almost ashamed at his inability.

Red, still looking pretty banged up, but remarkably better than he had seen the skeleton back in Waterfall waved Papyrus off. " 's fine. this is manageable." the skeleton waved off his brother as he attempted to stand up, seeming to only struggle slightly.

Edge immediately steadied his brother's swaying form, "NONSENSE. You will sit the fuck down and get bandaged up." The skeleton made an exasperate noise as he forced his brother back down. "You should know better, given your condition and our situation." He scolded hotly.

"yer right. sorry boss." Edge just glared at his apology, stepping back as Papyrus walked back up to the bathroom to get their first aid kit. Sans openly stared at the other, studying him.

"so you tied up my bro while i was away, huh?" Sans asked in a conversational tone.

Edge didn't seem remotely bothered by the question, answering easily. "It was for his own good. He was making a nuisance of himself."

Sans' eyelight flared in response. He was about to respond sharply before his double cut him off.

"stop fuckin' with the guy that can kill us you asshole." Red scolded as he looked at his brother with exasperation. "the guy who also is letting his bro _heal us._ " he reminded the skeleton.

Edge's eye lights didn't leave Sans face as he replied with a note of hostility, _"_ The "guy" who also _lied to his brother_ regarding _crucial events in his life."_

Red looked at his brother in further disbelief. _"_ boss, its none of yer fuckin' business! _lay off."_

"It is my business if his brother is _me!"_

"oh for fucks sake boss. for all you know this papyrus never even _went_ to the labs. stop projecting." and as soon as the sentence left his mouth, Red had a look of horror and tired to apologize. "shit - i didn't mean..."

Another voice cut through Red's attempts at an apology.

"Did I go to these labs then, Sans?" Red snapped up, and Edge looked up the stairs where Papyrus looked solely at his brother.

Sans' eyelights faded out from the heavy topic matter. There a beat of silence, the tension in the room hitting an all time high, but inevitably the skeleton replied. The words felt like acid coming from his mouth.

" _yes."_

Papyrus' expression melted into something saddened and disappointed. He walked towards his brother as he implored, "Why didn't you tell me about them? Why don't I remember?"

"Paps- it was... a long time ago." Sans voice came out pained. He didn't want to talk about it. Papyrus didn't need to know, didn't need this burden. That's what he had told himself for as long as he could recall, for as long as he had been free from that hell.

But Papyrus _wanted_ to know. And by his alternate self's reaction...

Maybe he should know.

"i didn't want you to worry about something buried and gone. something you wouldn't remember anyway." the skeleton explained.

"Why don't I...?" The skeleton trailed off questioningly, softly.

Sans swallowed the excess magic in his mouth caused by his frazzled emotions, taking a steadying breath for the conversation he was about to have. That he was having. _oh stars._

"there was an accident." Sans disclosed, pulling the memories out of the deep corner of his mind he stored them in. "an explosion from the core malfunction after..." He trailed off, not wanting to talk about it, not wanting to talk about _him_. Papyrus didn't ask him to go into the details, and his appreciation for that was considerable.

He continued after a pause,"you got hit on the head pretty hard. we both did," he recalled absentmindedly. "but you were unconscious for days," Sans remembered his brother's small, so small and lithe form oozing marrow from the skull. He remembered the horror, his _fear_ choking him before he pushed it aside and seized the opportunity to escape.

"when you woke up you didn't remember anything, and well. it was probably for the best." He admitted easily. He didn't look at his brother's face, _he couldn't_. He imagined Papyrus' anger, his disbelief. His brother probably hated him now -

"Was it so horrible?"

It came out as a whisper, quieter than he had heard Papyrus speak in a long time. Sans accidently looked back at his brother, immediately overwhelmed by the _concern_ and a touch of horror. "Was it so awful you really thought it would be better if I forgot everything from that time? Even the times I spent with you?"

Sans stared in surprise at the question, before reflecting.

He remembered his brother falling in love with puzzles, his happiness at the very few things they were given as test subjects, in a place where personal property didn't exist. When Sans would come back with rewards for whatever horrible thing he was exposed to, and his brother's expression made it worth it everytime.

He remembered his brother's horror, his anger and helplessness as he came back mangled or miserable. Sans remembered the few times Papyrus was exposed to said experiments to _punish him_ for misbehaving or not performing well enough.

Although Sans had done everything he could to take the brunt of his experimentation, of his sadism and curiosity and to hide his brother away from it all. The skeleton knew it had not been as bad for Papyrus as it had been for him, but...

"i don't know." he said in a small voice, suddenly uncertain of his decision. Had he been lying to his brother about something as big as _this_ for nothing?

No, he hadn't needed to know. It didn't matter, it was over and gone. At least that's what Sans had been telling himself.

But Papyrus still deserved to know.


	7. What You Want Is What You're Gonna Get

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how to ptsd flashback just _how_

A silence had fallen upon the four as Sans struggled to gather his thought, to find the strength and determination to talk about something he had avoided for  _years_. Papyrus and Edge worked their way down from the stairs, and settling Red into a position to have him bandaged proper. Edge's eyes flickered to the smallest skeleton of the lot every so often, his gaze suspicious. Sans barely noticed it, if not for his anxiety making him overly aware of the others.

It was after Papyrus had does more of the most extensive first aid that Sans started talking.

"i did my best to keep you away from... _him._ " Sans didn't specify the name, knowing Papyrus would understand his reluctance to say the scientist's name, or at the very least be alright with him withholding it based on his prior reaction.

But that's what started this, wasn't it? Him withholding information from Papyrus.

It was what he was used to, what he felt comfortable doing, but that didn't make it right. Papyrus deserved better.

He needed to break this viscious cycle, it wasn't doing him any favours.

Sans steadied his resolve before continuing, eyes focusing back on Papyrus who was paitently waiting for him to speak again. His brother was so good to him.

~~Too good for him.~~

"his name was W.D. Gaster," Sans couldn't stop the dripping _hate_ in his voice at the monster's mention, "he was last the Royal Scientist before Alph was promoted." The skeleton explained, not missing the recognition that flashed in Red's expression.

Sans felt his eyelights fade as he continued, his distress messing with his magic.

"he created us."

"I... don't understand." Papyrus spoke softer than the skeleton had heard him speak in a long time. It caused Sans to remanifest his eyelights to meet his brother's confused, lost expression. "What do you mean, he "created" us?"

His eyes drifted away from his brother, falling on Red who was scowling from the conversation topic. Red hued eyelights caught his, reflecting a sense of knowing. Understanding.

Silent support.

It gave him the strength to continue.

"We were his experiments, Paps." Sans explained, his tone clinical and emotionless as if he was relaying facts. Which he was. "He _made_ us. He used pieces of his own SOUL, as well as composites of his own bones to form us. We were his lab rats, bred for his amusement." Sans couldn't keep the bitterness from his voice.

There was a question in Papyrus' expression, a question he knew and didn't want to hear. ~~That madman was not a~~ _ ~~father.~~_

He continued talking before Papyrus could vocalize it, before this conversation became more involved than a retelling of his earlier life for Papyrus' sake.

"He made us to _save monsterkind._ To find a way to break the barrier." Sans told him, as well as his listening audience who only regarded his explanation with curiosity and disquiet. Edge and Red already knew most of the story probably, assuming the differences in their universes weren't so vast.

Red's assuring gaze of _understanding_ lead him to believe that was the case.

Papyrus was still looking at him with question, and Sans elaborated. "he had good intentions once, i think. but he was... disturbed, Papyrus. after mutilating your SOUL like that, i'm not surprised. especially given that he probably dosed himself with DETERMINATION..." Sans' grimace deepened, "he wasn't okay. he lost himself and did -" Sans' voice cracked as his magic was disrupted in his upset, but he continued regardless "-terrible things."

Sans disclosed, "I spent a lot of time with him," _too much time._ "he was..."

 _a demon, a madman, a_ _**monster**_ _._

"...cruel, unhinged, and absolutely willing to do _anything_ necessary to get the results he wanted." He said instead, watching Papyrus be completely unsettled by the implication. The light from his hands had long faded, his attention drawn entirely on Sans, clinging to his every word.

An amused huff drew his attention away from his brother as Red threw in his two gold, "sound's exactly like ours." Sans' gaze settled on the red of the other's jacket, his mind wandering for a moment and seeing only _red white red gray red red_ _ **red**_

Sans' eyelights burned as he forced himself out of his trance, phalanges tightening _painfully_ on the femur where it rested to ground himself. The pain was uncomfortable, but it wasn't the feeling of cold steel implements turned torture devices, used to see things as menial as _how quickly he healed._

Sans needed to stop.

He was at home. He was in Snowdin. His brother was here.

He was safe.

~~Gaster was as good as dead.~~

The thought made it slightly easier to talk as he gathered himself to continue, ignoring a pair of concerned gazes after his pause. What was he talking about again?

Papyrus.

"he barely bothered you after he found that i could be more... useful to him. but it still wasn't... good there, paps." Sans breathed, his SOUL clenching painfully at the memories that unravelled at the thought.

"so he was 'till used 'n the DETERMINATION experiments then?" Red piped up, expression openly curious. Sans' face twisted in confusion at the question, bewildered.

"i mean _yeah_ but it was only a couple of times." He explained, "it was usually only when i refused an experiment, or made a mistake or if he felt i wasn't performing well enough. but otherwise he wasn't touched."

"after he started to prioritize me, Papyrus was more there to control me, than anything." Sans briefly recalled his younger brother, _younger_ and screaming in a mixture of pain and horror. He remembered Gaster's smirk, probably revelling in the control he had. Sans remembered holding after, apologizing, wanting to promise that it would never happen again but-

_He couldn't do that._

He could only try his hardest to make sure it wouldn't _need to happen again_.

Sans felt his HP drop slightly - by force of habit he CHECKED to see it had dropped a few decimals - pulling himself out of his recollection, the grasp on his femur having tightened to something damaging. He forced his grip to lax, and tried to follow his previous line of speech.

"maybe as a backup in case he accidentally killed me," he tacked on as an afterthought. The doctor was a fan of having backup plans at all times, afterall.

Red seemed bemused at his response, concluding, "then he had ta have had other subjects besides you, right?"

The question was considered for only a brief moment before he replied, "no." He recalled spending hours upon hours at a time with the doctor in routine. He remembered considering the same thing, but rationalized that they would be _down here_ with them if there were.

Sans assumed the doctor would have tried to use that against him as well, if there were. Gaster knew he had a _soft spot_ for not letting others _suffer_.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Edge fumed, "from what Red told me -"

" p a p y r u s ," Red cut off his brother, voice more serious than his double had heard prior. Red tinted eyelights trained back onto Sans, his expression filled with _comprehension_. "you made 'em give you the entire workload, didn't ya?"

Sans' grimmance twitched into something more like a smile as he nodded. Red laughed loudly, exclaiming, " _ya clever bastard!_ "

"I... do not understand what you are both talking about." Papyrus stated, admitting his confusion as his eyes darted between the two shorter skeletons. Red managed to stifle his laughter as he glanced back at Papyrus, his grin sharp and eyelights glowing in mirth.

"he convinced Gaster to experiment on him;  _just him._ " The skeleton revealed, "prob'ly told 'em he would get more accomplish'd if he just funneled all his time on one of you instead of splittin' his efforts." He smirked when Sans gave a small nod to the speculation, continuing, "probably convinced 'em you were a better test subject too."

Sans didn't deny it, his silence loud and telling in contrast to Red's boisterous response.

The other short skeleton frowned, "i tried tha' too, but our Gaster was - he didn't listen to jack shit if it wasn't part of an experiment." Sans' eyelights softened at the admission.

Red looked away, seeming uncomfortable at the small display. "no wonder ya fuckin' hit like a truck," he laughed but it lacked any real amusement. Sans made an amused noise anyway.

"What... happened in those experiments? I don't understand." Sans related, he didn't understand a lot of things from that period in his life. "What did he do to you? What did..." Papyrus' voice caught slightly before continuing, "What did he do to me?"

Sans gripped harder at his limb for a moment, centering himself, before answering.

_Papyrus did always ask the best questions._

Sans openly ignored the first part of the question, _he couldn't talk about it_ , and started with what pertained to his brother. "those few times he did get to you... Pap... i..." The skeleton breathed, a purely mechanical movement to steady himself, completely biologically unnecessary. "he would do the same things he did to me. usually experiments that you had to have a tolerance for." Sans eyelights darkened, "whenever he did them you were hurt for a long time. it was _bad_."

He didn't go into detail. He had said enough, far past enough. Sans' SOUL felt raw from how much he had unearthed. He wanted nothing more than to go hide in his room for a couple of days ~~until the next RESET~~.

"when you woke up and didn't remember anything - you didn't have to worry anymore, didn't have to remember anything - i was relieved. you were so _happy_. you were always so happy, i couldn't... taint that." There was an apology on the tip of his metaphorical tongue, but he held it.

He would never be sorry for protecting his brother under any circumstances. Even if it was from his own past. Even if he didn't ask for it.

"I... understand, brother. I don't appreciate your unwillingness to be honest with me but, i understand why you were." Papyrus told him gently. His brother was so understanding. So wonderful. So cool.

"I just wish you would give me the option. I am an adult now - I appreciate your desire to protect me but I am capable of taking care of myself. A couple of bad things that you are keeping from me will not break me." He explained softly. "I am, afterall, The Great Papyrus! I can handle some unsightly things, and I would appreciate you trusting me to be able to.

You should not have to carry this burden all by yourself brother, let me help you. _Let me in._ "

Sans definitely wasn't crying.

"Tell me more about the labs. tell me more about yourself. tell me anything - it doesn't have to be right now-"

Anything else Papyrus said was lost as the realization that he was having this conversation and it wouldn't matter.  _Later_ would be after the reset and he wouldn't remember. It didn't  _matter_ and it  _hurt._

Sans pushed back the thought as quickly as he could, he arm gipping his femur more forcefully. _dontthinkaboutitdonthinkaboutit_

The next thing he heard was Red's question, breaking his inner mantra.

"so what was yer highest DT intake then?" Red's voice was full of morbid curiosity.

Sans really had to think about that one. everything from that time - most of it seemed to blur together when he thought about it. Nothing but pain. He recalled gaster's clinical voice at one of later injections. one of the ones that when he came back papyrus cried because of how catatonic he had seemed.

That was as close as he was going to get.

"1̟͖̭͓̭̣9͎͉̭͟ ͉̭m̲͠l͎͕̱̜̜?" he said uncertainly, remembering exactly what Gaster had said. He looked back up to see Papyrus' and Edge's faces twisted in confusion, and Red wearing a grimmance.

"my hands 's rusty, but you said 9 ML?" Sans blinked, _had he spoken in hands?_

He had said what gaster had said word for word, he shouldn't have been surprised he would just -

"uh, no. 19."

Red looked at him as if he had grown four heads. "you're fucking with me, right? there;s no fucking way..."

"What is DT?" Papyrus asked curiously.

"DETERMINATION. It is what makes humans so powerful." Edge explained simply, seeing his brother was still too busy looking at Sans like he was insane. "Red told me the process of it being injected into monsters is painful. Experiments that we were both subject to, it seems."

"i lost my shit at 2.7 ml. _how the fuck did you not melt?!_ " Red continued to babble, completely ignoring the conversation to two taller skeletons were having to his own incredulity. Edge looked at his brother in alarm.

Sans snorted before admitting, "i did. quite a lot in the beginning. gaster figured out a way to keep me together after a while." He didn't mention it was bringing his brother into the room and threatening him in front of his liquefying form, forcing him to form the will to stay whole. He didn't mention how incredibly painful it became as the amounts increased.

"BROTHER YOU _MELTED_!?" Papyrus cried, horrified.

"what can i say paps, the treatments didn't make me feel too _hot_."

"BROTHER THIS IS NO TIME FOR YOUR PUNS!" Papyrus squawked indignantly.

Sans froze at the words.

Something erupted in him, something raw from talking about the labs so much and -

And suddenly the room wasn't burgundy with a touch of blue and purple on the floor - it was _whitegreywhite_ and Papyrus was smaller, younger, and hunched over his form all tears and worries.

He didn't want this.

"BROTHER! THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR YOUR JOKES! _YOU'RE..._ " Papyrus sobbed, his voice higher pitched from age and squeaky from his distress as he clutched him tightly, too tightly, but he couldn't complain. Sans didn't think he could even summon the magic to talk if he _tried_.

Hearing Papyrus wail, cries of his name repeated over and over _broke_ him. It hurt. He was sorry, so sorry he had to deal with this and that he couldn't protect Papyrus and that he couldn't comfort him because everything hurt so much and he was

                                                                                so sorry

                                                                                                    so sorry

                                                                                                                          i t  
                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                   ͢͠ ̴̢͘͝ ̢̧̢͡͝ḩ̷̡ ͢҉ ̧͜ ͝ ̢̢͢u͜͟ ̸ ̨̢̕͞ ̶͞r̕͘͝ ̸̶̕ ̶͝ ̛͘ ̵̵t͞    ̨̢̕͞s  
---  
  
 

 


	8. I'm Not Waiting for You to Figure It Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have no clue what I'm doing tbh

Papyrus' indignant chastising caused some sort of switch to be flicked in the smaller skeleton. Sans' dim eyelights faded completely, his bones rattling as he curled in on himself. His breath came out in sharp, painful spurts as he tremored.

Red felt something like his SOUL drop in his rib cage. They had pushed too hard, he realised with a sense of ire at himself. He should have known the signs, known that as soon as this Sans even implicated the labs that pressuring him to disclose too much would rattle him.

Even if their universe didn't have the same tang of dust in the air, didn't mean it was all sunshine and rainbows.

Flowey had shown him that personally.

Red had never been more glad he himself had episodes like this as Edge hesitantly, after a moment of mental deliberation,  _reacted_  after the initial signs started. His brother offering soothing words and cursory touches to try and pull the other into the present, despite an initial lack of reaction as the other skeleton rattled under his touch.

This world's Papyrus seemed lost, floundering in his brother's newfound disposition. Quietly croaking out his brothers name, questioningly. Concerned and voice full of palpable worry.

Sans whispered something in the dialect of hands, quietly after Papyrus spoke.

Encouraged, the skeleton tried again. "Sans...?"

He didn't react.

Sharp knocking at the door, not too far away from their position definitely made Red twitch in surprise. His bones complained loudly at the movement, still feeling far too raw and damaged despite Papyrus' efforts at healing him. Edge's eyelights were trained on the door with an expression of displeasure, flickering between Sans and Red with a flash of worry in his expression.

Boss was so sweet sometimes.

Rapt knocking was repeated and Red nearly swore if not for the fact the people behind the door would be able to hear him if their healing wasn't complete shit. He heard Sans make a low whimpering noise at the back of his throat as his mind whirled in slight panic.  _of all the fucking times..._

Papyrus seemed distraught, visibly torn between answering the door and trying to help Sans in some way. It was as saccharine as it was fucking annoying, in the moment.

Edge took it upon himself to take initative, all but throwing Papyrus in the direction of the door with a look that demanded he deal with whatever decided to bother them. He swiftly put one phalange to his jaw, his gaze threatening before he turned away to attend to the other two. He gingerly moved Red, picking him up with his arms hooked behind his lumber-spine and -

Hot, blinding pain engulfed him at the movement. It was only for a moment, before it lessened to a duller pulsing heat that allowed Red the mental capacity to curse. Anything he wanted to say was stifled, something being shoved in his jaw to gag him, (which was probably for the best if he were to be completely honest).

His eyelights manifested, his sight being greeted with a distorted image of their kitchen. Burgundy walls with a splash of orange tiles met his vision, the lack of lighting hiding any other immediate changes. He had been sequestered to the eastern side, leaving him in the least visible position from the entrance.

His brother hadn't lost his edge (heh) being thrown into this different world afterall. Not that he would ever verbally  _suggest_ such a thing.

Red wasn't particularly suicidal.

After distracting thoughts abandoned him to the  _ache_ of his body, he focused on trying to breathe normally. There was no way his HP hadn't dropped from that - whatever the fuck it was. Edge shouldn't have hurt him, and the fact that he somehow did left him uneasy.

Being carried was the last thing that should have brought down his HP. Edge knew how to handle him, hell the bastard could make him feel pain without dropping his HP whatsoever.

Worry clouded his thoughts as Red watched Edge pull the other Sans into the enclosed area, next to him, his form still rattling from his trembling. He saw his brother peer out the door frame, trying to assess the situation.

He heard Papyrus crow loudly to whoever was at the door. "HELLO DOGI! How are you doing today?"

Red's SOUL froze at the greeting, and he saw his brother have a similar reaction.  _Why the fuck were the Royal Guard here!?_

Out of the corner of his eyes, Red saw Sans flinch at his own brother's booming voice. He stared, looking for any other sign of reaction, of awareness and saw barely visible pinpricks of light in the other's skull holding a note of panic.

Red softly tapped the floor to get his brother's attention, and he motioned towards Sans as soon as red eyelights flashed in his direction.

"THERE WAS AN INCIDENT?! Oh no! What happened!?" Papyrus exclaimed, loudly and probably for their possible benefit. If it wasn't creating anxiety between the two and startling his frightened brother, Red would almost be appreciative.

This was why good intentions didn't fucking exist where he came from.

The royal guard's hand signs, that Edge had forced him to learn at some point, for  _restrain_  and  _quiet_  came from his unsteady hands. This was probably first time the shit was  _actually_ useful for something besides infiltration missions and debauchery.

He heard a muffled reply from one of the dogi as he watched his brother return over to Sans. He spared a glance at Red before his attention being solely focused on the other skeleton. Edge grasped at his carpals, pulling them above the other's skeleton's head so he only had to use one hand, his grip secure as he confined Sans' movement. The smaller skeleton was too out of it to protest the movement, and that was for the best.

Sans' hyperventilating escalated momentarily at the action, before Edge's free hand was rubbing soothingly on his jaw. His sharp claws occasionally scraped against bone, not enough to draw marrow but enough to most likely cause a shadow of pain. His face was hovering inches away from the other's as he spoke lowly, too low to be heard by the dogi through solid walls, " _Stop_."

Edge continued to murmur in a calming voice, "Stop. You're safe here. Safe with me." He breathed, " _Let me take care of everything._ "

Red himself relaxed, hearing Edge's practiced reassuring words that never failed to calm him even in the shittiest situations. His brother was probably banking on their similarity in reactions to use the same tactics he used on Red when he was recovering from a flashback.

"What really!? Who would have a fight so close to the exit to the RUINS though?" Papyrus questioned loudly from his position. Red distractedly filed that part of the conversation away for another time -- that explained the Dogi's appearance. No doubt that area was completely fucked after the pseudo boss battle that had taken place.  ~~He had absolutely completely forgotten about it, honestly.~~

Switching his attention back to Edge and his alternate self, a string of jealousy of having to share his brother's comfort sung in his SOUL before he snuffed it out. Red was sharing his brother's attentions with _himself_ after all.

Red wasn't too fond of himself, but self-jealousy was just a low he wasn't ready to hit quite yet.

"AH NO! I found the lazy-bones sleeping in a snow puff a little ways from his post! He wasn't feeling too well so I took him home!" Papyrus explained loudly to the dogi outside, the levels of his voice nearly making him tense back up again.

Edge's hypothesis bore fruit as the skeleton's breathing steadied and his trembling lightened to something nearly unnoticeable. Red released a breath he didn't know he was holding, and immediately regretted it when it agitated his wounds making his exhale turn into a low pitched whine.

He and Edge looked at each other after the sound escaped his mouth. There was a long beat of silence, before he heard the Dogi speak, still too muffled for him to understand. Edge seemed to hear it from his position, however and barely concealed a look of alarm.

"Oh no! Sans is fine! He just needs rest, really! Rest and a home cooked meal from the Great Papyrus will make him as good as new! NYEH HEH HEH!" The skeleton insisted loudly at the Dogi and  _shit_ they had fucking heard him.  _he was so fucked_.

Red prayed to every deity he knew (like two, probably for shitty jokes) that they wouldn't fucking ask to see him. That they wouldn't be thorough.  _Please you fucking mutts, for fucks sake._

He spent so much attention to praying that he didn't hear the dogi speak again, and the only indication they had was Papyrus' boisterous response. "I insist that you let him rest! How about I bring him over to you in the morning, instead? When he feels more up to it, of course!"

The skeleton's voice held thinly veiled nervousness that made him want to groan.  _absolutely awful liar_ , he mentally scoffed.

"ALRIGHT! Thank you Dogamy and Dogaressa!" Anything else the skeleton said was ignored with the overwhelming relief that those two were leaving.  _thank fucking god._

The door slammed shut loudly, and Papyrus bolted over to them immediately. Edge released his grip on Sans to instead put his hand on his double's mouth, forcing his silence. Red tinted eyelights glanced over to the door for a moment, a tense silence reigning before Edge determined it was safe.

His brother spoke before Papyrus got a word out, anticipating his complaint. "Wait until they're out of fucking  _earshot_ , you fool." Edge scolded him, rolling his eyes at the idiocy of his alternate.

Papyrus seemed unaffected by his double's chastising as he knelt over to his brother, concern and worry palpable. "Sans!" He cried, but his brother gave very little visible response, probably so little that Papyrus didn't see it. Worriedly, he asked, "Is he...?"

"Give him more time. He'll be fine," Edge assured him. His brother suddenly scowled, his gaze turning over to Red. "And  _you_  aren't going to fucking last another ten minutes with the noises you're making. Let me see," Edge demanded.

Red didn't want his attention, he had just been fucking healed there was no reason he should be in pain. He was probably just being a bitch. "'m fine boss. you're injured too, you shouldn't -" anything else he was going to say was cut off when Edge forcefully adjusted him, allowing him better access to study his injuries more thoroughly. "fuck _fuckfuckfuck_ _ **fuck.**_ **"**

"You stubborn asshole, tell me what's still hurting you." Edge demanded, but there was no real heat in his tone. It was all Red could focus on for a while as he willed his mind to  _think_ through the dull haze of pain and exhaustion that was attempting to consume him. Edge waited patiently, a soothing presence as he collected himself.

Eventually he managed to form coherent words, "...m' back feels fucked. feel's like hp is chippin' off everytime i move." He admitted, ignoring the flare of shame that came from confessing weakness. Something that was just conditioned where he came from. Weakness was something to be ashamed of, to be avoided.

Edge didn't accept his evasion anymore.

His brother spared a glance in Papyrus' direction. "I assume your Grillby knows how to heal in this world as well?"

Red's SOUL dropped at the question, fear cloying any remaining thoughts he had. " _boss_ ," he protested.

"We need to get you to another healer, if this continues you  _will_ dust." Edge's voice was adamant, holding no room for argument. "And whatever attacked you is  _still fucking out there_. You didn't gain any LV runt, don't give me that fucking look. We have no reason to believe its not going to come back to finish you off, unless... you know something I don't." Edge goaded his brother.

Red didn't reply, his silence ultimately a more telling response.

Edge scoffed, "that's what a thought. I can't fucking protect you well enough right now, asshole. Shut the fuck up and do what I say."

"Edgy-me! Though your tactics need some work, I dare say you are quite kind! Perhaps we are quite alike, afterall!" Papyrus complimented, and Red couldn't hold back the laugh at Edge's affronted expression. The skeleton turned back to Red, gaze accusing.

"Don't tempt me to take advantage of your condition, runt." Edge threatened, but it didn't stop Red. The skeleton's scowl increased as he ignored his brother, turning to Papyrus.

" _Answer my fucking question, I won't ask twice._ "


	9. Things Are Getting Kind of Messy Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 100 kudos?? holy shit thank you guys what the fuck  
> this chapter. ill fix it i promise. its actually the bane of my existence

* * *

 

Sans struggled to open his eyes, his vision not met with the  _whitegreywhite_ he anticipated sent a heady of dose of relief and confusion through his SOUL. He still felt uneasy, despite that, a note of something like misery and panic clinging to his consciousness. It took Sans a moment to recongize the warm, burgundy walls he was staring blankly at.

_Had he fallen asleep in the kitchen again?_ The bemused thought ran through his mind, and Sans craned his head around to get a better look at the offending room. He was met with a  _hole_ in his kitchen wall.

And then it hit him like a sharp gleaming knife, the _other_ Sans and Papyrus. The fight, and dragging the injured back to the house before running like the coward he was when he was faced with his sins. of Red finding him, battered and bloodied because _he had decided to run_. Because he couldn't handle his sins.

Him telling his brother about the _labs_ of all things.

The though of the labs made the pressure on his SOUL tighten. He could hear something rattling in the distance. Everything felt _grey_ again.

"-ans!" A sharp call snapped him out it. He looked up, _not-his-Papyrus_ leaning over him with an intense stare. "Good," Edge murmured softly, vivid red stare boring into Sans' eyelights.

"Are you with me?" He nodded briefly in affirmation, a short and jerky motion. It took a moment to get his magic to cooperate to create a verbal response, something his alternate would probably appreciate more in the dim lighting. "...yeah," he replied shakily. He saw the pointed, filed jaw of Edge curl into something like a smile.

God, filing your teeth like that had to hurt like a _bitch_ , Sans thought distantly.

"Stay with me, alright?" Edge said softly, and Sans reeled a bit from the gentleness coming from the other. It reminded him of Papyrus.

He softened at the thought.

"You're safe." The taller skeleton assured him, "I'll take care of everything." Edge spoke in way that sounded like he said the phrase a lot, but it didn't seem any less genuine. The was a jolt of surprise at the statement, confusion, but he didn't have the energy to protest.

Something in him was also pleased with the claim, relaxing slightly.

"...okay," he agreed softly. There was a flash of satisfaction reflected in Edge's eyelights at his reply.

Sans sat there in something of a daze as he watched the taller skeleton walk out of his line of sight. He followed his form to see Grillby's form illuminating the nook of their kitchen further, stationed above Red's prone form with the soft green glow of healing magic coming from his hands.

Horror and worry rose up at the sight immediately. Had Red been wounded again? Had he gotten into another fight, when he had been so close to death?

Sans made a confused noise, and he saw Grillby's head twitch slightly in his direction, as if to spare him a glance, before returning to his task.

"...hello, Sans." The fire elemental greeted him, voice low and crackling. Red's head moved in his direction as well, dull eye lights flickering in his direction before fading completely.

He heard loud footsteps. "Papyrus," he heard Edge call from outside of his peripheral vision.

"Sans!" And immediately his brother was by his side, all worry and relief. Sans exhaled, all tension leaving his form as he on habit resisted the embrace before conceding and leaned into Papyrus' embrace. He felt himself calm. "You're alright! I was so worried..." Papyrus confessed, and Sans felt his SOUL clench at the comment.

"'m fine pap. sorry." Sans apologized, genuinely.

"You _numbskull_..." Papyrus murmured, and Sans snorted at the pun. He could feel _happiness_ and _relief_ singing from Papyrus' SOUL, being so close to the other. "Don't you ever do that again!"

Sans was about to ask what he was talking about, before it hit him. _He had had an episode in front of Papyrus,_ Sans realized in horror. The fight had been one thing, but-

He had been _falling apart_. Mentally strained and coming apart at the seams, which wasn't an irregular occurrence these days.

However, he couldn't do that in front of Papyrus _he couldn't_.

Papyrus' worried yet relieved gaze bore unto him. _Don't you ever do that again!_ echoed in his mind. Sans _couldn't_ promise that.

His ability to control his episodes was slipping with the irregularity of this situation. he couldn't distance himself from these events, Sans was required to be _present_ and that was revealing what a mess he was.

How poorly held together he was in actuality.

Sans said nothing, leaning further into his brother's embrace. His brother must have picked up some of the emotions his SOUL was emitting from the short distance, because his hold tightened.

And when was the last time he had allowed his brother _this close_? He didn't want to risk Papyrus knowing _something was wrong._ He had to protect him, Papyrus didn't deserve to be burdened with his woes. Didn't deserve to be hindered by his sins.

But Papyrus already knew something was wrong. _He had told him about the labs_. Not in detail, not enough to really _understand_ anything, but...

"i can't promise anything, but i'll try Paps."

Papyrus seemed to _glow_ at his response, despite it not being really what he had requested. "That's all I ever want, Sans." he told him.

They stayed in an embrace for a while so _warmwarmwarm_ before Sans' eyes caught Edge's form kneeling closely, red eyelights emitting a worried stare towards his own brother.

"what happened to red?" Sans asked no one in particular.

Papyrus was the one to answer him, "Something else was hurting him. Edge had me go get Grillby."

His brother stopped for a moment, before speaking in a small voice. Smaller than he heard from his brother in a long time. "His... hp was really low. less than 1." Papyrus' soul bled through his _horror_ and sorrow at the thought.

Sans frowned, looking back at Grillby. Edge's gaze seemed to be stuck staring at a white handkerchief in his hands.

The fire elemental's hands ceased their glowing. "...he should be out of immediate danger now." Grillby told the collective skeletons, his remark however was mostly directed at Edge. He nodded with a note of appreciation, some of the tenseness in his form easing. The skeleton helped the elemental get back to his feet with his free hand.

"...What was wrong with him?" He felt Papyrus' magic configuring to create the sound, so close to his brother. It was a soothing feeling.

There was a moment of silence, Edge staring scornfully at the handkerchief in his hands. Sans swore he saw a flesh of green on it as Edge's hands tightened and-

Recognition flashed in his mind.

_oh god._

Grillby's rasping voice cut through his horror, "...There was a vine wrapped deep around the his thoracic vertebrae. the way that it was positioned had the thorn digging into the bone whenever it was moved a certain way."

Papyrus' fear and horror resonated in the short distance between their SOULs, causing the feeling to artificially increase. Sans felt magic burning at the back of his skull, threatening to be dispelled.

"If he wasn't already injured it probably wouldn't have bothered him and simply harmlessly rotted away. However..." Grillby trailed off meaningfully.

_Since he was wounded he was weak and it was able to damage him. I_ _t could have **killed** him_.

"...He's fine now. Give him a couple of days and he should be in top form." Grillby told them, attempting to ease the atmosphere and comfort their visible distress. Sans swallowed his horror, pushing it back to be dealt with later. "Regardless I am glad you came and retrieved me to heal this. Although..." The monster paused, and Sans could feel Grillby's gaze upon them.

"...when I heard Papyrus tell me Sans was injured, I cannot say I expected... this..." the flame elemental gestured to his alternate's form. Amusement trickled into Sans SOUL.

He would have never expected anything like this to happen either, even with his experiences.

"I, The Great Papyrus, apologize for deceiving you! However, your help was greatly appreciated."

"...It is no problem. I am happy to help," the monster spoke with honest warmth. "I was merely... surprised."

"you _wound_ me, grillz." Sans joked, grin returning. He felt Papyrus sputter behind him and unravel his grip, his face indignant.

" _Sans!_ " He cried, and Sans could feel Edge's gaze on his skull. He shrugged playfully.

"...It's good to see you so lively again, Sans." Grillby spoke suddenly, and Sans paused for a moment, thoughts halting at the implication.

The flame elemental had always been quite intuitive, the skeleton mused. Sans didn't miss his brother's concerned and saddened look.

"I'm also glad you managed to locate him, Papyrus." The bartender continued, "you were quite upset this morning. I'm relieved." Sans felt a wave of guilt with the reminder of his conversation with Papyrus this morning, that he had been missing and his brother had probably turned over the entirety of Snowdin to find him before looking past his post.

Sans felt incredibly bad, despite not knowing how he had even _ended up_ by the RUINS' exit.

Grillby began walking to exit the kitchen, his gravely voice pulling Sans out of his thoughts. "...I won't ask where you skeletons came from," The elemental spoke with a gesture towards the two darker skeletons. There was a flash of surprise from Edge at the statement, before he continued tending to his unconscious brother. Sans gave the other a wan, thankful grin.

The way that Grillby's flame flickered told him he understood. The elemental continued speaking. "However, I would appreciate if you answered one question for me."

"go ahead grillz." He allowed.

The flame monster seemed to scrutinize him for a moment, before asking lowly."...I heard the exit of the RUINS was completely demolished. Given your disappearance and their injuries - I assume you all had something to do with that?"

A flash of his previous fight with Edge and Red came to his mind. The low hum of blasters and bones ripping against tree and stone alike without heed. "uh, yeah. something like that." Sans admitted sheepishly.

"I suspected as much." The elemental admitted, "The dogs were talking about it earlier and I was curious."

"its fine grillz," the smaller skeleton placated the other.

"...Nevertheless, you do realize the damage was quite extensive? The dogs are furiously looking for the culprit. The damage is going to take days to repair, and will leave the RUINS exit unusable until then." Poorly veiled concern laced Grillby's low crackling voice. 

"is that so?" Sans spoke before his mind could catch up to him, interest bleeding into his voice. Grillby nodded in affirmation. He made a thoughtful noise.

"I would be careful and avoid the dogi until this blows over," the elemental advised. Sans nodded.

"sure. thanks grillz." The elemental waved off his further appreciation, as well as Papyrus' own before Grillby left, stating he really needed to get back to the bar. The skeletons understood.

Grillby needed to get back to his patrons as well as not staying too long to avoid bringing the skeletons more attention.

~~It didn't matter. A handful of days and it would start all over again, _why did they act like it mattered?_~~

"god, even yer grillby is a fuckin softie." Sans nearly jumped when Red sat up suddenly, eyelights far less dims than they had been since the skeleton had been injured. "you think he'd be decent since he'd at least been in the war, but 'parently not."

Edge huffed at the other's antics, but seemed visibly relieved at his brother's reaction. Something in Sans softened at that.

"Grillby was in the war?" Papyrus asked, surprised.

Sans was somewhat surprised his brother didn't know, but then again it made sense. His brother wasn't incredibly fond of the elemental's establishment, even if it was merely because of his taste in food. There was no reason Papyrus _should_ know that sort of stuff.

"yeah," Sans said. "was a general, i think."

"Wowie! That's quite impressive!" Edge snorted, but didn't respond. Sans smiled at his brother's awe.

"same in our world." Red told him, and Sans hummed in interest. The consistencies were not as far few as he'd first believed.

Red glanced at him, "speaking of which. we still need to get back there." He glanced at his brother briefly before continuing. "we're probably going to have to wait until we're healed, going back otherwise would be a mistake but - you did never tell us what happened." The skeleton reminded him. Sans tensed.

Red took in his reaction before speaking again, "you don't gotta do it today, buddy. we gotta heal up anyway and you already spilled your _guts_." The skeleton seemed to enjoy his own joke before Edge smacked the back of his skull in a chastising move. Red swore.

"Language, Red!" Papyrus admonished.

" _the asshole fucking hit me!_ "

"And Edge! Don't hit him while he's injured!" His brother turned to scold the other skeleton, who simply looked unimpressed.

"I'm not in the mood for your shitty humour." He told his brother deadpan. Sans watched amused as Red grumbled, a muttered " _i almost died you asshole,_ " barely heard from his double's position.

If Edge heard it, the taller skeleton gave no outward signs of such.

Sans blinked as he felt Red's stare on him, looking back to the skeleton's waiting expression. What was he-

Oh, right. Telling him about the catalyst.

"tomorrow," he half-heartedly promised with a wave. Red gave his a suspicious look before seeming placated. At least for the time being. At that, Papyrus got up in a flurry, attempting to get the other two skeletons settled in for the night and discussing dinner preparations.

~~Maybe he could just put it all off until the reset, Sans mused.~~

~~So he go back to not feeling anything.~~


	10. Is it a Call or is it Just a Lie?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did??? fontcest??? i dont feel like shit about being in these tags now nice

Edge and Red were respectively nervous in their new environment. Despite its obvious similarities with their own, it was not  _their_ home and Sans could understand their unease. Especially given the average percentage of which they were attacked here.

Which was exactly why Sans forced them to go rest away from the living room and the loft, suggesting them go settle and rest in Papyrus' room while they cleaned the collateral damage of their previous fight.

"you two should go rest. take a load off while we clean this mess." The skeleton gestured widely to the broken furniture around him. Edge gave him an unimpressed huff.

"no fuckin' way." Red protested loudly, not at the suggestion but more that the  _demanding_ tone in Sans' voice. That he was being told what to do by someone who wasn't his brother.

Or at least that was Sans' perception of his tantrum.

It didn't last long. "Red," Edge hissed in his direction and proceeded to pull his brother up the stairs to the recommended room. The door slammed loudly behind them, and Sans sighed in relief.

He had expected more of a struggle, honestly.

There was an indignant squawk that sounded suspiciously like Edge, and Sans stifled a laugh. Probably at his brother's interior design selection. He couldn't expect a skeleton like Edge, all leather and black, to understand is bro's energetic tastes.

He mused on what Edge's room probably looked like, what their whole house looked like for that matter. The skeleton would have to ask Red about it later if he had the opportunity.

Sans' reprieve didn't last long, as his brother asked for his assistance in disposing of the ruined furniture, as Papyrus worked on the hole in their kitchen. He used blue magic to carry out the torn couch (unmendable) and the shattered television (destroyed), much to the exasperation of his brother and his own magic reserves.

Sans would have to be careful for the next day or so until he was fully rester and his mana was fully replenished. He didn't want to start drawing on his core magic for  _anything_ , lest he lose the tethers in his fingers or toes.

~~Not that it mattered. He would die anyway. It would all reset anyway, _it didn't matter._~~

Sans' desolation threatened to pull him back into a state of apathy that he shook off gently with the knowledge of Edge's and Red's appearance.  _It would be different this time_ , he promised himself. Maybe-

No. The resets wouldn't stop. Sans couldn't have faith in something like that. He knew better.

Sans wouldn't hold his breath. Not that he could.  _Heh_.

Papyrus' cheerful voice pulled him out of his thoughts, placing a slew of blankets and pillows down of their guests in lieu of a couch to sleep on. "Do you think they'll like my spaghetti, brother? Maybe they don't even have spaghetti in their world! How unfortunate!"

"they'll love your spaghetti, paps." he reassured easily. His brother brightened at the encouragement.

"Then its settled! But perhaps they might have some kind of allergy of some kind? Perhaps they're not fond of glitter? Oh dear!" He all but cried at the possible problems. Sans smiled warmly, his bro was always looking out for others. Always so considerate.

"i'll go and ask 'em for you pap, alright? you can go ahead and get started." he volunteered. He sincerely doubted the other two had an eversion for anything like Papyrus feared, but it was never bad to make sure.

"OH! Thank you, brother!" Papyrus exclaimed happily, turning into the kitchen.

Sans' grin widened as he went up to the loft, not shortcutting for the sake of his magic reserves. The door wasn't locked like he assumed it would be, given the two's probable penchant for privacy after that whole escapade.

He casually strolled in, inquiring, "Hey you lazybones, Pap was wondering..."

The words died in his throat.

Edge was on top of the smaller skeleton, long legs straddling the other as he gripped Red's hands above his head and had him locked in a heated skeleton's kiss. Red seemed to be more relaxed than Sans had ever seen the other, melting into the hold and his eyelights shaped into an affectionate heart shape. Sans noticed clothes had been discarded, and caught a wicked amount of scars underneath Edge's armor as well as the vibrant glow of his SOUL.

Sans caught the sight of two red tongues, long and luminescent interlocked in their kiss. He watched Edge grind into his brother, causing a high pitched whine from the other before Red was lost in the kiss again.

Edge's relaxed, sensual gaze met Sans' own and only then did the skeleton catch himself staring and bolted out the door.

The  _slam_ that resounded at his exit echoed in his ears and Sans leaned against the wall adjacent. His SOUL beat loudly in chest at his distress, as his magic stirred at the skeleton's own arousal at the sight he witnessed. Edge's gaze and their compromising position seemed to be burned in Sans' eye sockets.

_what the fuck._

Sans breathed, reveling in the thoughtless and mechanical motion as he tried to sort his thoughts and settle his magic' interest. The skeleton swallowed the magic in his mouth as it bloomed and ached to form a tongue in response to his emotions.

He should have knocked.  _Why didn't he knock?!_  Why were those two even...

Distantly, Sans recalled Edge hovering over the skeleton as he calmed him earlier, putting him in the exact same hold as Red. He remembered Edge's grip on his bones, a reassuring weight keeping him tied to the present as well as his voice speaking lowly and soothingly. Sans shivered at the memory, feeling a burst of magic fizzing in his mouth again at the thought and -

The door opened suddenly, pulling his thoughts aside as Edge glowered in his direction. He surveyed the other, finding the only evidence of his previous debauchery was the light ruby dusting his skull in a show of a blush.

Edge spoke in a demanding tone, "Yes?"

"uh... pap wanted to know if you two were alright with spaghetti for dinner. and if you had any allergies or whatever." Sans explained lamely. Edge eyed him with one skull brow arched, and Sans heard the rustling of clothes behind him. Probably Red.

The scene he had witnessed came back to Sans instantly at the thought, and he could feel the magic burning on his cheekbones. Edge's scowl turned to a smirk at his reaction, drawing an amused huff. He spared Red a glance behind him before replying to Sans.

"We don't," he told the skeleton dryly. "But since _he's cooking_ , I'll go see if your brother will allow me to assist him - assuming I cannot take over entirely." Edge informed him before he left to the kitchen. Sans' gaze was caught on his illium for a moment before he caught himself and diverted the gaze.

He twisted around to find Red, who was looking at him with an amused and knowing expression. The skeleton motioned him into Papyrus' room with a single falange.

Sans hesitated for a moment, beforing following him inside. The door behind him closed with a click and a touch of dark red magic. "ya should 'eally learn how to knock," he intoned amused.

"pal, you should really be be careful where you  _handle_  each other like that." Sans replied cheekily, sitting adjacent on the racecar bed with the other skeleton.

The skeleton snorted, "pff. like its nothin' you haven't seen 'fore." Red waved the other off, but caught Sans' bemused expression.

"right?" he questioned.

Sans shook his head. He caught a flash of surprise in the eyelights of his double. "nah... you got it wrong. pap and me never..." Sans trailed off, gesturing vaguely and letting the other fill in the blanks.

"huh." Red seemed bewildered. "i 'nestly didn't think there'd be  _that_  many differences between us. you know. given..." the skeleton trailed off meaningfully. Sans nodded in understanding.

They were far more alike than they gave each other credit for, it seemed.

"we seemed so similiar i just assumed. well, you'd be down to  _bone_ that, y'know? my bad i guess." The skeleton was sheepish and apologetic as he scratched the back of his cervical vertibre.

Red paused the motion for a moment, seeming thoughtful before redacting. "Maybe not though 'ince he's such a naive thing, or maybe yer just not into 'im? both are fine just-" he rambled anxiously before Sans stopped him.

"it's not that," he admitted with a blue blush illuminating his features at the topic. "its not that i'm not...  _pap is everything to me,_ you know? its just like," Sans paused as he struggled to sort his thoughts before continuing. "its selfish of me. and its hard enough with everything else, and just-"

_What's the point of admitting your feelings when it would be erased in a handful of days anyway. When your brother would be dead soon enough because of your own worthlessness. When..._

"-oah. hey. you with me sweetheart?" Sans blinked as he was startled out of the icy numbness that his thoughts had pulled him into. He felt Red's phalanges pull from his humerus, and he met the skeletons concerned gaze at he settled into the present.

Red's eyes softened.

"i get it." The skeleton told him, " 'til i told boss about  _everything -_ " Red paused before correcting, "- well  _almost everything_ , 'nyway. we hadn't really been a thing 'fore that. boss hadn't even  _known._ " Red explained, the heel of his tennis shoes drumming a nervous beat into the frame of the racecar bed.

_The racecar bed that Red and his brother had definitely been making out on._

Sans banished the thought from his skull as soon as he recognized it. This was going to  _haunt_ him, wasn't it?

"you do want to be with him though, don'cha?" Red asked suddenly. The blush that was slowly working its way back to Sans' cheeks brightened intensely at the question.

Sans swallowed and after a moment, nodded.

Red's grin seemed to widen at his response, eyes still soft. "i ain't gunna tell you how to live yer life, but if tha' cream puff is anythin' like boss then you should tell 'im."

Sans' heart clenched painfully at the advice.

He wished it just was that easy.

"i'll think about it," he said instead.

Red seemed content with his response, and Sans caught his eyes trailing upon the action figure collection his brother had compiled and organized.

"he seems real sweet tho'." Red told him. "reminds me of boss when he was just a babybones." Sans caught his fond smile, and softened at the remark.

"yeah. paps the best," Sans agreed softly.

~~_That's why he was the worst because he couldn't protect him._ ~~


	11. Seeking for My Saving Grace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you folks for your support?? im amazed at the reception and just shit thank you guys

The two skeletons had lapsed into a comfortable silence, the bickering of their two brothers could be heard through the walls, a soothing murmur in the background. Sans felt, more than saw, Red fall gracelessly into the bed from his sitting position. 

"i had somethin' else ta ask ya," the skeleton beside him admitted after a moment. Sans didn't bother verbalizing his askance properly, too comfortable to desire to put in the effort, and finding a hum with the tone of a question more suitable to his needs.

The response drew an amused huff from the skeleton beside him. He hesitated for a brief moment, before asking with a nonchalant air. "yer human's probably gonna be a couple of days late now, huh?"

After the words left the other skeleton's mandible, any amenity Sans was feeling was stripped away in an instant at the topic matter. He felt his bones tense, a nervous energy drawing back at the mention of the bane of his existence.

That wasn't even counting the hitch of anxiety he felt with the realization his alternate was talking about the human _who hadn't even shown up yet_.

Red _knew._

Sans' alternate seemed to notice his adverse reactions - he was really slippin' up today, huh? - and immediately held up his hands in a yielding gesture. "hey, 'm not tryin' ta upset ya." Red reassured the skeleton gently, "ya don't have ta talk about anythin' heavy, i was just curious is all."

Sans studied the other intently, looking for a sign of malintent from his double. His body language did not contradict him, and he found no evidence the skeleton was being anything but genuine. Sans released a breath at his findings, but still felt unease at the topic matter.

He didn't want to talk about this.

"i dunno what you're talkin' about, pal." Sans deflected easily with a shrug and a lazy smile, a practiced motion. Red looked at him with a considering gaze, before scowling and snorting in disbelief.

"bullshit," Red uttered before throwing him a dirty look, having no qualams about calling his alternate out on his lie. He felt the smile on his face twitch, but didn't reply insteading choosing to avert his eyes.

Red spoke after a moment, the fact he wouldn't budge on the topic matter without further prying clear. "look, i  _heard_ yer reaction when grillby was tellin' you about the RUINS bein' all fucked up." He explained, his ire bleeding into his voice. "you're  _me_ , asshole. well, maybe a shitty knock-off, but still." Sans caught the other skeleton winking playfully in his direction before continuing, "and i personally wouldn't give a single shit about whether or not someone can open the RUINS door. not unless i was, i dunno,  _expectin' someone._ "

Sans completely stilled and began to sweat at the accusation, knowing fully the other was  _right on the mark_  and Red  _knew_ he was right on the mark _._  He didn't reply, keeping his gaze averted and attempting to keep his expression unaffected under Red's searching gaze. An amused chuckle told him his attempts were largely unsuccessful.

There was a long pause, and Sans still felt the skeleton's piercing gaze settled upon his form,  _waiting_ for a verbal admission. He quickly realized the skeleton wasn't interested in giving up when it came to this topic.

He didn't _really_ want to talk about this.

Sans opened his mouth, ready to offer him some brief admission to just make the other  _not talk about it_ but felt himself still at the prospect. Memories, flashes of times he had mentioned the human before their arrival not really impacting anything in the long run cause his jaw to click shut. The sensation of hopelessness creeped back up on the skeleton, a feeling that had been abated for most of the day given the wildness of events. 

_It wouldn't matter, so why bother?_

Another deflection slid from his mouth, "you don't know what you're talkin' about."

Sans caught a flash of anger and indignation in the other skeleton's vivid eyelights, before he huffed in irritation at the response.

"if ya don't want to tell me, fine whatev'r." The skeleton got up from his position on the racecar bed, an air of agitation following his movements. He paused sharply on his way out before he passed the doorway, turning back to give him a scalding glance, eyelights luminescent in the darkening bedroom.

"but if yer gunna stop yer shit, you can't pick and fuckin' choose." Red took a step forward before pausing to murmur, "trust me on that."

A flare of frustration swallowed him whole as he watched the other leave, but did not call out to Red as he left. Sans was left alone to his thoughts, staring at the doorway. 

 

* * *

 

Edge ended up settling to help his alternate, the other vehemently refusing to let him simply take over. His initial intervention was less out of a genuine desire to cook and more of a desire to make sure the other skeleton won't slip something toxic into their food. Despite how ridiculously nice he seems, Papyrus is a version of _him,_ and he honestly wouldn't trust himself if he were put in Papyrus' position not to try something, especially given what he had done to his older brother.

After observing the other Papyrus for a short amount of time, he found that his fears were unfounded.

The skeleton had found very quickly that Papyrus wouldn't have the finesse to even try to purposely poison them in the first place, given how he seemed to be attempting to  _cook_ could barely resemble its proper form in the first place.

Hell, he seemed far more prone to poison them accidentally. The darker skeleton  _couldn't help himself_ from stopping the other, seeing his double pummeling tomatoes as a way to prepare them. Edge cooly inquired what he was doing.

"I am pureeing the tomatos with my passion!" He exclaimed. Edge did not even know how to respond.

He decided to ignore the statement all together, akin to when his brother said something particularly idiotic.

Edge watched his alternate for a moment, and just couldn't help himself. He took over, telling him to move out of the fucking way and let him show him how its done. Turning the familiar stove to a less lethal temperature and waiting for it to cool before reapplying the pan, before giving the other a demonstration of dicing them with a fine precision.

He feels better after the task, the weight of a knive familiar and grounding in this eerily similar kitchen with a mirror image of himself. It was something intensely familiar. Something welcome.

Papyrus seems bemused at how just unenthusiastic his cooking appears, but seems begrudgingly impressed.

"I am a master chef in my own right," Edge informs him sharply at Papyrus' protests or attempts at critique. "Allow me to show you my own methods, and compare them to your own." His offer is more of a demand than really a proposal but Papyrus still finds it in himself to protest. Intimidation tactics were simply  _ineffective_ on the brighter skeleton.

"But you shouldn't be having to cook! You are the guest, afterall!" Edge grit his teeth in irritation at the slightly shorter skeleton's persistence.

He considered what sort of answer would appease his alternate, before replying. "I would be more comfortable, as well as my brother, with food that is familiar. Please," he implored, pulling at his more manipulative side to get his way. "I would feel much more at home if you would allow me this."

Papyrus paused, gaze thoughtful and softening at his plea. Edge smothered a victorious smirk at the reaction, knowing the other had caved.

"Well! In that case... by all means!" Edge repressed a sigh in relief. He continued, not bothering to discard the start of his alternate's spaghetti, but worked to try and salvage the efforts. Edge was anything but wasteful, especially with the shortage of food he had experienced in his younger years and in times where supplies ran low.

It wasn't something they could afford to be in the habit of doing.

However, Papyrus had a hard time simply observing. He asked continual questions about why he did everything, and attempted to assist him whenever possible. Which ended up with the two briefly touching at the exchange of ingredients.

Edge repressed a cringe at the first accidental brush of contact, but found himself surprised when the shudder and feeling of disgust that came with touching other monsters was absent. On the contrary, his bones tingled pleasantly at the touch, leaving Edge perplexed.

The next touch was... less than accidental, but his alternate did not seem to mind or notice. Edge couldn't help himself, bewildered at the fact touching someone who wasn't his brother did not revolt him, nor set off his instincts. He felt a small spark of magic, brief and almost unnoticeable at the touch. 

Edge found himself distracted in his task and his thoughts consumed with the strange interaction. He wondered if it had something to do with the fact they were essentially the same SOUL. He wondered if the magic would amplify at a larger touch. 

He caught himself wanting to ask the other to humor him, and aid in finding the answers but caught himself staring at the other skeleton's distracted skull, brow bones pulled in thought and his expression resembling melancholy. It was... strange to see the expression on the skeleton who had been almost completely positive and cheerful, barring the near breakdown of his brother previously.

He turned his attention back briefly to his task, assuring the meatballs for the spaghetti he prepared were cooking correctly before turning to his alternate. "You're thinking too loudly," he informed the other. 

His speaking drew a startled noise from the other skeleton, and he felt nothing but exasperation that he had been so absorbed in his thoughts. Honestly, what if Edge had decided to kill him outright?

Pathetic.

 "What is it?" He asked instead of voicing his criticism. Papyrus fidgeted for a brief moment in the corner of his peripheral vision before speaking. 

"I was wondering... you seem quite... close to your brother, yes?" The skeleton spoke hesitantly. 

Edge snorted softly, "You could say that." He thought back to his previous interaction with his brother, a coy smirk creeping onto his face. A flash of blue followed his thoughts, and his mind briefly wandered to Papyrus' brother's reaction to seeing their passion.

Cute.

He smothered the thought as soon as it formed, forcing himself to focus on Papyrus before the other spoke. 

"What is your secret? I mean, how did you get him to open up to you?" Papyrus specified, before explaining. "I... I feel like I've tried everything with Sans and just... before this he didn't talk to me at all." Frustration bled into his tone. 

"And even now I just don't know what to do." He confessed.

Edge clicked his conjured tongue thoughtfully at the inquiry, half-tempted to tell his alternate to figure it out on his own and not bother explaining his own struggles with his brother. However, he understood the other skeleton's frustration, truly.

The orange magic threatening to fall from his eye sockets was also... unsightly. And Edge couldn't have any version of himself crying on principle, no matter how pathetic they were.

"Red was the exact same, honestly." He absentmindedly stirred the sauce still boiling on the stove to preoccupy his hands, soothing away any nervous energy created from the topic at hand. "He lied to me for years, and still has a hard time breaking the habit. The bastard." He uttered a curse, pulling an offended noise from his alternate. He didn't allow the other skeleton to scold him, continuing quickly.

"The mutt tried explaining why he thought it was acceptable a couple of times, and what I gleamed from it was this." Edge started, "he does it to try to improve my quality of life. He doesn't want me to be "burdened" by him." A sigh tore his way from his mandible at the thought of how ridiculous his brother's mind was. 

"If I'm correct, I assume your Sans does the same shit if not worse." He told him, ignoring the instant chastising for language. "I don't know whats wrong with your brother, and I can only speak from my own experiences, Creampuff." He watched the other skeleton seem puzzled by the nickname, and the edges of his smile twitched in response before he continued.

"Naturally, my brother has me, The Great and Terrible Papyrus. But aside from that, our world is... it has not been kind to him, and offers him very little." He admitted after a moment, before sparing a glance towards Papyrus with a critical stare.

"Sans did not hesitate to throw himself into battle for you; for your _honor_." Edge specified, putting emphasis on the last part, willing his alternate to understand. "I do not know how it is in this world, but that is quite a move to make in our own. If your world is less... quick to draw, so to speak... then that speaks for itself."

Papyrus' gaze was thoughtful, and he saw the other nod before he spoke again.

"I digress, my brother..." Edge paused before bringing up the topic he had unintentionally avoided. "He held me at arms length for a very long time. At first I thought perhaps it was my fault, or perhaps the stress of our... situation was getting to him. It drove me harder to join the Royal Guard at that time, to help him and relieve some of the burden from him."

"However, that wasn't the case. I joined the Royal Guard, I succeeded him and still would shy away from me. I threw myself into my work like a fool, hoping the problem would resolve itself."

Edge felt his jaw twist into a bitter smile. "I was wrong."

He watched Papyrus expression melt into confusion with a taste of trepidation at his next words.

Edge spoke, heedless. "Red ended up Falling Down, the burden he placed upon himself too much, the isolation the last straw."

Papyrus' face settled into bemusement. "He "Fell Down"?" He said the words as if they were a completely foreign concept, and at the moment he realized that perhaps they were as Papyrus continued to inquire. "What do you mean?"

Was this world that kind or was his double simply that naive? 

Edge rolled his eyes, "Right. You don't probably have to worry about it so much here. It's what happens when a monster loses HOPE." He explained. "Their SOUL deteriorates, and they Fall Down. Quite literally; falling unconscious to never wake again."

"That's... horrible!" Papyrus exclaimed, aghast at the concept before the gears in his mind began to turn. "But... your brother... he's still...?"

"I had to pull some strings, and got my hands on a valuable substance to reverse it." He explained further, "After he woke up, and I understood the gravity of what had happened -- I demanded him explain everything. I couldn't allow anything like that to happen again."

"That's... quite awful." Papyrus said, voice softer than Edge believe he had heard it since he had met the other skeleton. "To have Red nearly die for both of you to talk..."

Edge took the statement offensively, ire flaring as he spat. "I wouldn't say anything if I were you, your brother looks no better off than mine before he Fell." Papyrus recoiled at the statement, fear working its way into his expression.

Edge felt a pang of regret as he saw the skeleton's reaction, despite not feeling particularly remorseful over his words. Words bled from his mouth, despite himself. "However, he has already told you more than my Sans would have ever told me willingly. You also have our support, whereas I did not have that resource."

Papyrus seemed slightly comforted by these words, and Edge felt irritation at himself. Why in the stars would he bother reassuring that fool?

He didn't know the answer.

"I'm glad you two managed to work things out," Papyrus said suddenly. His expression still showed reminiscent signs of upset from the explanation Edge had offered, but his cheer began to bloom back at full force. "And I'm honored you confided this in me, Edge!" 

And suddenly the skeleton found himself quickly pulled into an embrace, only having the time to twitch before the skeleton grasped onto him from such a close range. Edge shuddered at their bones touched, warm, low pulses of magic created at the contact and the resonation of comfort from the other skeleton's SOUL foreign and overwhelming at the short distance between them. 

He felt himself released from the grip, a hint of orange dusting his alternate zygomites as he seemed to be aware of Edge's initial discomfort. Edge found himself almost instantly missing the contact, and at the realization of which questioned his own sanity.

It was so strange to be touched by someone other than his brother and not hate it, let alone it feel so pleasant.

"I apologize if that was unwanted! I merely--" Papyrus babbled apologetically before Edge pressed a clawed hand over his alternate's mandible, silencing him and feeling the novel touch.

"It's... fine," he decided on after a moment. The relief Papyrus exuded at the statement tangible. The break in the atmosphere, drew his attention to the smell of something burning in the air.

Edge swore loudly, and Papyrus did not scold him this time.


	12. Drowning on My Own Disgrace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, i might have posted a version of this previously. i read it in the morning after i posted it and hated it. so heres the revision. its better i promise  
> also explicit shit ahead. also ive never actually written anything explicit before so uh. ((sweats))

* * *

 

 

Dinner ended up being...  _edible_ , was the word Edge could safely settle upon. After discarding one of the  _key components_ of their dish, they had managed to salvage it with extra sauce and a bit more garnish to compensate.

The taste was satisfactory, but there was something  _off_ about it that Edge couldn't put his finger on. Perhaps it had to do with the superior quality of ingredients in this world? Regardless, the dish ended up having an element that was... absolutely indescribable.

Edge had a sneaking suspicion his alternate must have done something, but had no concrete evidence.

Regardless, the magic in the food was potent - and somehow gained him a stat in DEF, for  _some inexplicable reason -_ so really, who was Edge to look a gift horse in the mouth? And honestly, he had eaten far worse. Hell, the Sea Tea Undyne forced him to drink every time he visited her home in Waterfall to receive paperwork made the pasta a  _cakewalk._

Edge couldn't complain. And the similarly bemused expressions his brother was making were amusing.

Sans had not seemed phased by the taste whatsoever, which only added to his suspicions. Though, Edge could honestly attest that to his muted presence during their meal. He seemed absolutely listless in comparison to their previous interactions, though Edge could chalk up his behavior to exhaustion. He himself was starting to feel the sharp tugs of weariness that only his Royal Guard training was helping him stave off.

However, Papyrus kept regarding his brother with quick concerned glances when he didn't think the skeleton was looking. Coupled with the warning of his intuition, and the fact that even if he did not know this Sans remotely well - hell, they had met not even a day ago despite how fucking  _long_ today had been - he knew his own brother like the back of his hand and the two were nothing if not a distorted mirror.

His Sans was perhaps more violent and had more backbone, but the resemblance in their character was baffling. Especially given how different Edge and his own alternate appeared to be, though he could definitely see core facets of their personality being similar.

Regardless, he knew  _his_ Sans, and this Sans were nearly one and the same. And the withdrawn, somber mood that the other couldn't cover up with clever puns gave him a sense of apprehension.

Though, realistically he was probably just exhausted and anxious about their promised conversation regarding  _why_ the brothers had appeared in this reality. Stillover, Edge felt like that reasoning was  _too easy_ , and given the fragility the skeleton had revealed prior it didn't  _feel_ like a good answer.

There wasn't anything the skeleton could do about it, anyway. He deeply wished he wasn't concerned, that this skeleton wasn't so much like his brother _._  That this could just be  _easier_ , and he could simply focus on trying to get home.

Edge's earlier declaration to Papyrus resonated in his mind, and he suppressed a sigh. He really needed to learn how to not  _care_ so much.

(But if he did that he would be no better than his peers, the monsters in his world that were content to watch their world tear itself apart and he could never allow that.)

The clattering of dishware tore the skeleton out of his thoughts, and Edge turned to see Papyrus diligently cleaning the ceramics used prior. His gaze turned back to see his brother giving Sans a piercing look, despite his form being slouched over the table top.

Sans seemed anxious, avoiding the other skeleton's gaze with the occasional nervous twitch of movement.

Edge joined his brother's antics, taking his time to really  _look_ at the other skeleton before he would have to attempt to pry answers from him. Sans looked absolutely exhausted, was really the only thing he could pull from the other, aside from his nervous behavior. Edge hadn't taken the time to really notice the heavy shadows around his eye sockets, the high strung nature of his posture - tense, but hidden through baggy clothes an a natural slouch - and eyelights that were far too dim in comparison to his brother's.

He looked ready to fall over. ~~_Or fall down_ , something insidious whispered in Edge's mind.~~

Red's words drew him out of his observation, "so..." He drawled slowly. "are ya gonna tell us wha' happened?"

Sans seemed to tense up further, if possible, at the inquiry. Edge caught Papyrus peering over within his peripheral vision, looking curious. There was a long stretch of silence as Sans stared intently at the kitchen table, opening his mouth once or twice to speak but deciding against it, trepidation burning in his eyelights.

After the second time, Edge got irritated.  _It wasn't that fucking hard, honestly..._

At the next nervous motion, the skeleton drumming his phalanges against the kitchen table, left Edge ready to speak. He was ready to just interrogate the skeleton, consequences be damned because  _it wasn't that hard just tell them_ , but Papyrus cut him off before his words could form.

"If I may," his alternate started hesitantly, his gaze caught on his brother before trailing back to Edge. "Perhaps this discussion could be continued tomorrow?" He suggested. "Afterall! You two will both still be on bed rest, and The Great Papyrus absolutely refuses to betray Grillby's confidence in returning the both of you to health proper!"

Papyrus' exuberance seemed to falter after his declaration as he continued, concern bleeding into his voice. "A lot has already occured today, and I don't believe it is wise for any of you to stress yourselves further." There was a note of finality to his voice that left little room for argument. Not that Edge would ever let that stop him, and how  _dare_ his alternate try and order him around!

However, he caught the releasing of tension in Sans' frame, the tangible relief in his eyes at the declaration that caused him to pause. He shifted to see his brother shooting the shortest skeleton a bemused look, before staring at Edge with a question in his eyes.

His brother didn't think it was a bad idea either then.

The concept of throwing in the towel early frustrated Edge, the thought of wasting precious time even more so. However, as much as he physically ached to do as much as possible to progress his goals, to get home and deal with the ticking time bomb that was surely waiting for him...

His eyes trailed back to Sans, seeing the skeleton's eyes on him, waiting for his reply. He had said he would not leave until he was certain the other monster would not fall down anytime soon, or had at least implied such. The Great and Terrible Papyrus was nothing, if not true to his word, no matter what it was.

And pushing Sans any further today would do more harm than good. And Edge had to give the skeleton credit, he had already made a step towards being honest with  _his_ Papyrus. He should be rewarded, in some manner, he supposed.

Red had always been more receptive to rewards than punishment himself. Edge had little doubt his alternate would follow suit.

"Fine," he agreed with a note of distaste. Edge caught of a flash of a pleased expression on his brother's face, the bastard, before it was hastily smothered with a smirk. Red must be tired if he was slipping up like that.

Perhaps it was for the best then.

"You have told us enough for tonight, I shall grant you that reprieve." He informed Sans stiffly, his praise more implied than anything else. He caught a flash of surprise before it was smothered by something  _warm_. Any hope he had at identifying the emotion was lost as Papyrus pulled his attention, speaking loudly.

"Thank you!" His expression was beyond pleased, genuine appreciation bleeding into his voice. It caught Edge off-guard.

Verbal appreciation and well mannered monsters was something that had died out in his world a long time ago, only still really practiced by what was left of the aristocracy and perhaps the monarchy on a particularly good day. To hear it now, when he hadn't heard such a thing in perhaps  _decades_  was... off-putting to say the very least. Foreign and uncomfortable, to be more specific.

Edge waved it off after a moment, "You can thank me properly by having your brother tell me what I need to know tomorrow." Papyrus nodded at him, nonplussed and still beaming.

Sans took that as his opportunity to leave, yawning loudly. "well if i'm no longer needed, i'm gonna go hit the hay." He left without further pomp and circumstance, all but running upstairs to escape. He heard Red make an amused huff.

Edge found himself glancing back up at Papyrus, to see the other staring after his brother with a concerned expression. It melted away easily as he turned his attention back to his two new guests, speaking without missing a beat.

"Well then! We should get you two settled in then, yes?" He smiled at the two brightly before continuing, "Oh! And we'll also need to find you both a change of clothes... Perhaps some nightwear until I can wash your clothing." He spoke mostly to himself, throwing himself into the task of getting the two of them acclimated.

Edge could appreciate it, keeping yourself occupied instead of simply standing still and worrying - it was the same tactics Edge employed himself. Perhaps it was only natural his alternate and him were the same in that respect.

Edge let himself and his brother be whisked away under Papyrus' care.

 

* * *

 

 

"Absolutely not." Edge growled, the magic that was permanently coalescing in his eyelights intensified with his ire and disgust. "I, The Great and Terrible Papyrus,  _refuses_ to sleep in a  _shed_." He spat.

Papyrus seemed at a loss, "Ah, but you didn't want to sleep in  _my room_ -"

"Because it's absolutely abhorrent."

"- so I thought the Guest Room would be the next best option, aside from our couch which as been..." Papyrus coughed lightly, " _Indisposed_..."

"We'll sleep on the fucking floor. Just get us some blankets," Edge ordered his alternate. "Come on, whelp." The taller turned on his heel and walked back into the house without missing a beat, his brother following after him. Edge caught his double following swiftly after them, before disappearing up the stairs before returning with a pile of blankets and pillows for the two darker skeletons.

"I apologize we do not have any more proper accommodations for you." Papyrus apologized as he handed the procured items over. Edge scoffed, "It's fine. You weren't expecting us." He waved off the other's apology absentmindedly as he went about setting down a suitable bedding arrangement.

"Then I will allow you two to rest then. Goodnight." Papyrus only waited for a short moment, perhaps expecting a reply, before he retreated back upstairs into his own domain. Edge hadn't bother replying, still fumbling with the procured bedding and he had seen movement from his brother's direction, most likely a lazy wave.

The fabric beneath his fingertips, Edge let the soft material rest in his hands for a moment as he appreciated the feeling. It was far different from the worn and heavy wool that was standard in his world for bedding. Blankets like these were considered luxury, and came at a high price in his underground that he was never particularly fond of. Edge had other more important essentials that he needed to put effort into obtaining, things like  _blankets_ were nothing but whimsy.

That however, didn't mean he couldn't appreciate them when he was offered them freely.

Edge had also noticed the bed clothing he had been given was also a similar degree of soft, and though he should be merely thankful it was of a suitable length, couldn't help but appreciate the material of that as well. He watched with a degree of amusement as Red pulled at his own borrowed nightwear as he attempted to arrange the pillows into a favorable position, the sleepware being originally owned by his alternate and ending up be slightly tight in way that Edge couldn't help but be pleased by.

He wondered at the difference in size between him and the other Sans, and at the cause. Was it the change in LOVE, the environment itself, or perhaps physical conditioning? Edge couldn't be certain.

After seeming to create a nest for himself, Red buried his face into the bedding, seeming to also be pleased by the material favored in this world. Edge felt himself smiling at his brother's antics, but didn't smother it. They were alone now, after all.

He was pulled into the nest lightly by Red, and found himself relaxing into the softness of the blankets quickly. Edge marveled at the comfort of their arrangement despite the lack of support the ground offered. Given that he wasn't particularly picky with where he slept, especially given the horrible environments and positions he had been forced to rest in during stake-outs or on other missions.

And that wasn't even mentioning the places he and his brother had slept when they were younger and living on the streets. In contrast, the floor was a luxury.

Though Red had no problem falling asleep literally anywhere, despite Edge's absolute disbelief sometimes. Especially when Red himself had been a guard member, and they had been sent out. How he could  _relax_ when he could be killed at any time in half of the positions, Edge would never understand.

The skeleton was relieved that Red wasn't forced to do that anymore, his demotion to a mere sentry had been a blessing in Edge's eyes. Only one of them really needed to be in the guard now, given Papyrus' salary and benefits as the new captain, and while Red still needed to work, the threat of his possible death no longer loomed over Edge's daily thoughts.

His brother was  _more_ than capable of handling any threats as a sentry. And while Edge would never doubt his brother's prowess as a guard,  _they had worked together after all,_  he still couldn't help but worry given Red's low HP.

If he lost Red, he didn't know what he would do. He couldn't lose Red, he was his  _everything_  in that dying world.

"boss," his brother interrupted his increasingly morose thoughts. "yer thinkin' too loudly." Red sighed, pulling the other into a loose embrace. "relax."

Edge eased into the touch, revelling in the soft nuzzle it rewarded him with as he felt himself slowly unwind. He found himself smiling lightly as he drew his hand up to his brother's skull, stroking it lightly and allowing his eyelights to settle on Red's form.

Edge felt his affection and infatuation swell as looked at the other skeleton, eyes fondly tracing over his familiar bone structure and visage.

He found his hand pausing in its motion as he caught his brother's expression morph for a moment, twisting into something drawn and unhappy as he stared seemingly at nothing. Red was terrible at taking his own advice, it seemed.

Edge stroked Red's skull one more languidly as he spoke, "What is it?" Red seemed startled at the question, pulled out of his trance and looking at Edge with almost a guilty expression.

Edge felt what would be his eyebrows draw in concern and bemusement.

"s' nuthin'," Red replied before burying his face further into his brother's chest. Edge shuddered at the proximity their SOULs gained in the movement, feeling soft whispers of his brother's emotions resonate through the short distance. He could feel his brother's affection and devotion bleed into his senses, and Edge felt intoxicated by it.

It never ceased to amaze him, in some regard, that his brother felt just as strongly about him as he did Red. If not more so, in some aspects. Red had confessed the reverse to him at some point, long ago when they had first allowed themselves to open up like this.

However, the longer Edge let his senses be consumed by his brother's emotions, the more that he picked up vagrant notes of worry that only increased as time passed. He shifted away from the hold, seeking to look at his brother properly before he gave the other an expectant look.

Red didn't meet his eyes, his mandible shifting slightly signifying the swallowing of excess magic from upset, all but pleading Edge to drop the topic.

He couldn't allow that.

Edge didn't continue to interrogate his brother, instead knowing it would be easier to simply puzzle together the reason for his distress. It was easier for the both of them if he did, after all. It wasn't their current location, Red could care less if they were back in that hell-hole, he was sure.

The only reason he would be feeling  _guilty_ and  _worried_  was perhaps over his injuries earlier. Edge had sworn he had reassured him that he was forgiven earlier, but perhaps that hadn't been enough?

"You do know, I won't allow what happened earlier to happen again, right?" He murmured at the other, his tone soft and reassuring. Edge caught a look of surprise from his brother, before he watched it twist into grief and shame, before recoiling away and curling into the pillows he was resting on.

"s' not tha'..." Edge's concern deepened, and he drew himself back closer to his brother, wrapping around him comfortingly before listening to the emotions echoing from his brother's SOUL, heedless to his desire to contain them.

_WorryRegretGriefShame_

The emotions were so twisted into a mesh of  _sorrow_ that it was hard to determine what they were initially. Edge managed to pick them apart after a moment, and paused at the feeling of  _regret._ If it wasn't his near  _death,_ what on earth could he-?

 _Sans_.

The thought came to him in an instant as Edge recalled the disquiet Sans had displayed during dinner, which he had only shown  _after_ he had left Red and him alone together.

"What did you say to him?" Edge asked suddenly, drawing Red's confused gaze from the pillows he had been buried against. "The comedian," he specified.

Red's expression dropped at his words, and the whispers of his SOUL only intensified in their grief. Edge knew that was the cause. He watched his brother struggle to speak, opening his mouth only to close it in his decisiveness.

He recalled Sans doing the exact same thing earlier, and marvelled at their similarities.

But he couldn't put this off like he had done for Red's alternate, because if something was bothering the skeleton  _this much_  it would certainly fester and come to bite them in the ass sooner than later. That, and Edge wouldn't allow Red to suffer unnecessarily.

Not anymore.

"You can tell me." He told him softly, his hands trailing feather soft movements on the other skeleton for reassurance. "I won't be upset," Edge promised, trying his best to abate the other's fears and felt Red tremble under his touch at the declaration.

He frowned as his brother only seemed to work himself up  _more_ at his attempts, anxiety and the stirrings of panic nearly tangible through the swarm of emotions he could feel through the other's SOUL. Edge would have to try the other method, then.

His light touches turned into a steel grip, and he turned the skeleton roughly and forced the skeleton to be splayed out beneath him, completely at his mercy.

" _Sans,_ " he murmured lowly, "You will tell me what you said to him."

It wasn't a question, but a demand.

The reception to his actions was instant, Red had stilled completely beneath him his eyelights contracted to red pinpricks of light. He felt the skeleton breathe, slowly and deeply beneath him as they stared at each other for a moment before he felt the murmurs of distress in the other's SOUL fall completely silent.

He didn't move, only adjusting his grip so that it wasn't  _as_ painful, and waited paitently for his brother to speak.

"i asked him about his human," he admitted softly. After the words left his mouth, the misery and self-loathing and regret all came flooding back, his SOUL singing nothing but agony. Edge's thoughts and efforts immediately went to work on calming his brother back down, his grip regressing to something  _painful_  and close to shattering the bone beneath him as he whispered soft reassuring praise at his progress.

It took time, but eventually the flare had muted to nothing but a whisper. Enough that Edge could focus on trying to decode the cryptic statement his brother had given him.

" _His_ human? What about a human?" He asked eventually, unable to make sense of the answer his brother had bestowed him. His brother's SOUL swelled in despair, but it was far less than his previous statement had brought forth.

That didn't stop him from choking up as he tried to speak, fighting an apology on his lips. "i... th' way he was talkin' ta grillby earlier..." His bones shook from his distress, creating a low rattling sound as he continued. "i thought...  _our_ human usually comes from the RUINS and he didn't have any other reasons to  _ask_ that, and i wondered 'f he was like  _me_ so i asked and i just..." his voice cracked as he spoke. "and i  _know_ the kid has somethin' ta do with this  _i know it_  and  _i never told you about it_  and i just... everytime  _i tried it didn't_ -" his voice cut off with a sob, the hysteria that had been creeping into his voice fully setting in as he stopped.

Crimson magic dripped freely from his brother's eye sockets as he was overcome by heavy sobs, anything else he had to say hard to decipher and nonsensical as the skeleton was wracked with hysteria.

It only took Edge a moment to push down the swelling panic that had manifested at his brother's break down. While his mind spun trying to decipher  _what in the angels name_  Red was even talking about, as he started to release his grip to pull the smaller skeleton soothingly into his arms he caught a more concise and clear murmur from him.

"m' worth'ess, dun deserve you, 'm sorry."

The words made choler  _burn_ in his SOUL, his relaxed grip returning with a vengeance, pulling a miserable whine and a creak of protest from the bones underneath him. Edge took a slow, calculated breath as he let the roaring anger in his SOUL be funneled into his desire to inflict hurt, actively working to shift his mindset.*

He spoke in a low growl, his body's weight forcefully pressing down further to restrict Red's movement. "I don't remember it being  _your_ job to decide whether or not _I_ deserve you." Malice and disdain dripped from his tone, and Red stilled as much as he possibly could. A few shuddering hiccups escaped him, outside of his control and his form did not cease trembling, but his inconsolable crying ceased.

"m' sorry boss," he apologized quickly, his eyes retracted back to mere pinpricks of light.

"No, I don't think you are." Malice dripped from Edge's voice, while he shifted his position slightly over his brother to gain a more intimidating air. "Not only did you  _lie_ to me," Red flinched at the accusation, shame painting his expression as Edge continued. "But you also sought to decide the worth of one of  _my_ possessions," he hissed, pulling tightly on the collar Red wore to prove his point.

Red fell silent, knowing any further begging and apologies would fall upon deaf ears, that he had crossed a  _line_. The fact he did so, was a sign that Red was cognizant and that his hysteria was fading, leaving Edge feeling almost pleased.

But he wasn't done yet. The show of dominance between them made his SOUL burn pleasantly, feeling  _alive_  in a way he never otherwise got to experience. The feeling of hyper awareness, of  _precision_  and the low hum of the LOVE in his veins singing at the taste of violence was intoxicating.

He continued, his pull on the other's collar only increasing as he purposely sought to put pressure the manalines between the skeleton's neck and head. His brother made a protesting noise, the act the equivalent of lightly choking another monster.

He merely leered at his brother, heedless to his sign of struggle, leaning forward to close the gap between their skulls until he could feel Red's hindered breaths ghost upon his jaw. "Do you think I should  _punish_ you, pet?" He drawled lowly.

"Let you  _feel_ your transgressions?" He pulled harder on the collar briefly, pulling a choked gasp from his brother before he released the skeleton from his grip entirely. Edge's hand trailed up to brush his cheekbones softly as he continued, feeling Red lightly tremble underneath his touch. "Or should I simply forgive you? But then... you wouldn't forgive yourself then, would you?" He hummed.

Red shook his skull, a muted movement as the skeleton seemed dazed from Edge's asphyxiation. "please..." he croaked softly, a quiet plea.

"Please,  _what_?" He asked, a taunting edge to his voice. "Use your words,  _dog._ "

"please punish me," Red breathed after a moment. The vulnerable, sheepish expression on his face ignited a  _fire_ in Edge. "i can't..." he whispered helplessly, "i  _need_..."

He didn't require any more assent, and lifted his weight off his brother, pulling muffled noise of upset from the smaller skeleton. Edge paid it no heed, digging through his inventory before retrieving the worn, back-up restraints he carried for unplanned situations like these.

The Great and Terrible Papyrus was  _nothing_ if not prepared for  _everything._

He took his time pulling away the borrowed garments from his brother, the other clay in his hands as he let himself be guide into the position Edge desired and bound without the slightest hint of protest. He revelled in the complete compliance, the open trust he was offered never ceasing to flatter him.

Edge felt his brother  _shiver_ as he applied the final touch, the dark material of the gag contrasting starkling against the pale of his bones. Red didn't question the addition, merely shifting his head to allow easier access. Edge preferred not to use them, enjoying the delectable sounds he could pull from his brother. However, given that their hosts were sleeping upstairs and he couldn't be quite sure how thick the insulation here was in comparison to their own home, he had to adapt accordingly.

Edge refused to take the risk when he didn't have to, not when Red was relying on him to take care of him.

After the final touch, Edge stood back and prowled around the smaller skeleton fully drinking in the image he made. Red's carpals were bound to his ankles, forcing his pelvis to be stuck in the air, absolutely vulnerable to Edge's whims. His head rested underneath one of the pillows offered, off to the side and unable to look behind himself. Edge could already see a faint hue of magic already gathering at Red's pubis.

The sight sent a jolt of heat down to his own pubis, and Edge felt his magic beginning to coalesce at the sight. The taller skeleton paid it little mind.

He had Red to take care of first.

"Tap three times if it's too much," Edge instructed and waited for Red's slow nod in agreement, the reminder of their nonverbal safeword necessary due to how  _long_ it had been since it had been used.

And after the affirmation, Edge felt any fragrant wisps of hesitation fade into nothing, a sharp thin bone of magic forming at his will as he returned to Red's back.

"I shouldn't be beating you... you enjoy it far to much." He murmured darkly, watching Red shiver in anticipation. "However, it is  _my_ decision to make and I am feeling quite generous." Edge all but purred, and greedily drank the sight of his brother's palpable fear and need written openly in his expression and with his body language. Red magic flared around his brother's pubis but he paid it no heed, his eyes rapt on red's expression.

They said one's eyes were a window into the SOUL, after all.

"Twenty strikes," he announced and watched Red struggle to swallow the magic that had gathered in his mouth at the declaration. He fingered the implement in his hands, eager to please the call in his SOUL to inflict  _pain_ and  _humiliate_  his pet.

There was no further warning or preparation before Edge struck.

The sound of bone against bone was deafening in the silence of the otherwise vacant downstairs. Red's bones tensed in pain, a choked sound wasn't completely swallowed by the gag. Edge revelled in the noise.

At the first strike, his mind swam with the heady ache of his LOVE trying to seize him and force him to take the free EXP before him that was being offered on a silver platter.

Edge did not hesitate before striking again, refusing to give Red time to recover and well accustomed to the singing of his LOVE during their play. It was something that only served to heighten his experience, the taint on his SOUL creating an endorphin rush at the infliction of pain, seeking to drive him to  _keep going until his enemy was dead_. The very cause of many monsters becoming nothing more than EXP junkies.

Edge didn't allow it to control him, but reaped the benefits as he let all but let him so  _go_. He was still careful and diligent with the pressure in strikes, cognizant of the fact his brother's SOUL was incredibly fragile and how easy it would be to slip and shatter him completely. The cold analytical feeling that had consumed his mind when he began, allowing him refined control and precision stopped him from doing so, but the threat was still present.

The knowledge only spurred him further.

Red took it well, the initial shock of pain was intense, he could tell from the red liquid brimming within the skeleton's eye sockets at the first several strikes. However, by the end of the tenth, his body shook and trembled in pleasure, drool spilling unto the floor from his mandible. A dripping member had formed through the magic that had coalesced around his pubis, not even needing further stimulation to develop.

The absolute euphoria in his brother's expression sent a white-hot jolt of heat straight to Edge's cock, straining through the borrowed nightwear with a muffled glow.

By the time his brother's punishment was over Red was a trembling mess, desire and bliss overtaking anything else that the skeleton may have felt. His eyelights had permanently taken on the shape of hearts, red saliva pooling onto the floor as his arms and legs pulled against the bindings, straining for relief.

Edge took his time to inspect him thoroughly, before leaning down and putting his tongue to work on the the thickly cloying magic offered to him.

The surprised moans that made it through the gag were music to Edge's ears as the conjured hole quivered and clenched tightly around his tongue at the intrusion. Edge's claws grazed the other's ilium, and the skeleton continued to release a symphony of quiet moans that only served to spur him further.

Edge's grip on the skeleton beneath him tightened as Red subconsciously squirmed under his ministrations, while his tongue worked deeply into the other as he sought to prepare his brother further and to draw more delectable sounds.

He pulled away sharply after feeling his task had been completed, and was met with the sound of Red panting loudly through the leather gag, clearly affected by the stimulation. A low distressed noise followed the loss, but a glance at Red's expression showed him the smaller skeleton was nothing short of rapturous.

Edge's cock ached, the magic long since manifested completely due to his tasks, and the skeleton roughly pulled away the borrowed night pants he had received. The member sprang free from it confines, and he didn't hesitate to pull it close to his brother's own ecto-body, rubbing the tip of his cock around Red's entrance teasingly.

The sound Red made in response was exquisite.

Edge didn't hold himself back as he thrust his cock into the other, drawing a surprised cry from the monster underneath him at the sudden intrusion. Edge paid it no heed, cursing at the  _tightness_ of the walls around him before drawing back out sharply and thrusting back with a snap of his pelvis.

Edge revelled in the feeling his brother's magic tightening around him, receptive to the harsh and rough fucking. He continued to drive into the other, pounding into him with the intention of driving deeper and faster into him as Red trembled and arched back into his thrusts, moving his ass up as much as he could to meet him.

"So wonderful pet," He told the other as continued to thrust into him without abandon. "You're so fucking good, ahh..." Edge groaned lowly, feeling the walls around him tighten at his praise.

He continued to swear softly as he continued, feeling his brother's own pleasure resonate at the proximity.

It wasn't much longer until Red came hard under his treatment and praise, the muffled cry and walls clenching unbearably tight against Edge signalling his orgasm. He caught his brother's expression, absolute pleasure and bliss reflecting as his eyes were nearly rolled into the back of his eye sockets, that being the final straw to push him over the edge. He rode out his orgasm, revelling in the muffled incoherent begging that he could hear from underneath the gag.

He pulled himself out of the other with a wet noise as lucidity returned, and paused for a moment as he eyed his brother's absolutely debauched form, marvelling in his work. The taller skeleton undid the buckles of the restraints, Red's limbs collapsing under him at the release. He made a happy sound and Edge rolled the other over, and into a more comfortable position.

His SOUL sang in contentment, mirroring Edge's own.

He kissed the other gently, his own red tongue sweeping up stains of red drool settling on the skeleton's skull.

"You are mine," Edge murmured softly, and Red crooned at the admission. He made another happy sound, nuzzling into the taller skeleton, revealing to Edge that he had pushed past the point of really being able to verbalize anymore, too enraptured by the high their session had caused.

The first time he had successfully invoked him into a state of euphoria that rendered him unable to speak after, he had panicked and been frightened that he had hurt Red permanently. Now it was merely the assurance that he had done exceptionally well.

"We'll discuss further punishment tomorrow," he murmured, more to himself than to Red. "For now, rest."

Red didn't have to be told twice, burrowing into the blankets Edge supplied him quickly after clothes were retrieved and put back on.

They could wash up before the other two saw them. Or perhaps not, he wasn't particularly concerned, if he was completely honest with himself. But unfortunately putting clothing on was a necessity. Chancing one of the two brothers walking downstairs before they awoke and stirring a fuss was an unpleasant sounding prospect.

Edge allowed himself to be pulled into an embrace as his brother sought contact, allowing his eyes to wander aimlessly back to the ceiling and the loft. He  _swore_ he saw a flicker of orange at the corner of his peripheral vision, but further scrutiny of the open area revealed nothing.

It was probably his exhaustion and the darkness making him see things.


	13. My Nightmares Still Look Just the Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this couldn't get any more self-indulgent if i tried. also apologies for the lack of updates. my internet's been down for a while and that's probably not changing anytime soon. but i haven't forgotten this bad boy. ~~i still dont know what im doing 30k in~~

* * *

 

 

A low, agitated pulse of magic caused Edge to wake with a start. It sent him into an offensive position, ready to defend to  _strike_  at whoever dared to try to attack him when he was resting. Magic coalesced at his claws, eyelight burning a red luminescence.

He was met with the quiet darkness of his alternate's living room, absent of any predators or monsters to pull into battle. Edge took a moment for his mind to process and remember where exactly he was, the lingering essence of sleep still struggling against his thoughts. He heard his brother's grumbling, his own sleep having been disrupted in the movement, before quickly settling into a steady snoring beside Edge's crouched position.

His gaze swept the room, suspicious. His instincts never belied him, and he wouldn't have woken up if not for some form of threat. A part of him cursed in agitation of being woken up, the aches in his bones protesting loudly. A dull throb formed behind his skull from mana deprivation quickly joined it. Edge held the crouch regardless, prepared for the next similar wave of magic after several SOUL beats. It washed over his senses for a brief moment, weak from probably traversing a distance but too tangible to be from a far source.

Tangible enough to have woken him and to be perceived as a threat. Edge hissed in irritation.

It felt cold and incredibly familiar. The nature of his brother's magic flashed into his mind, though it was less volatile than such. It only took a moment for Edge's mind to groggily puzzle together the source.

_Sans._

It had to be.

Edge forced himself to get up from his position, making sure Red was properly settled and probably wouldn't awaken in his absence. The last thing either of them needed was for Red to wake up after a session like that and to think Edge abandoned him or something to that extent. One time had been more than enough.

Red was always very vulnerable after their sessions, and Edge was nothing if not thorough in taking care of his brother.

~~It was the least he could do, after Red took after him for so long. Red still takes care of him even now, really.~~

He silently guided away from his brother, waiting for the next pulse of magic to appear so he could detect its source. It came quicker than the last, directing him upstairs to the room that would have been his own brother's, had this been Edge's home. He wastes no time stalking to the source, attempting to work his way into the other's room only to find it protesting against his advancement.

Locked.

Edge swore softly, not in the mood for any of this. He outright _refused_ to fuck around and knock at the door to either be ignored or awaken the other skeletons currently resting in the home and causing a ruckus. The same could be said for getting through the door through many other more violent methods he had. It limited his options greatly.

Edge chose to dig into his inventory, pulling out a set of old lockpicks. They had served him well in the past, the skeleton remembered almost fondly. When working to find monsters fleeing from their lives, you needed every trick you could acquire, afterall.

Before he could start to unlock the door another pulse of magic, closer and much more tangible than the others brushed across his senses. It was sharp, cloying and carried the sense of  _terror_.

It made Edge pause, staring at the door in consideration before working with more vigor than he would have prior. The low metal clinking of the tools in his hands were the only thing that could be heard in the house.

If not for the persistent echoes of distressed magic bleeding through the wooden door, Edge would have assumed nothing was amiss and probably have abandoned his task.

A loud click and the squeal of the doors hinges alerted he had been victorious. As soon as the door gave way wounded sounding noises bled out into the hallway. Sound-proofed, he realised distantly as he crept into the darkened room.

Edge softly heard the door click behind him, signalling its closing. He paid it little mind, the scene before him drawing away any other thoughts in his mind besides Sans.

The monster was half sprawled off the mattress on the floor,  _practically identical to his brother's_ , he thought distantly. The room was heavily lit from the radiant magic bleeding off the other skeleton,  _judgement_  and  _patience_  resonating lightly from pure, undirected use.

Edge absentmindedly wondered how Papyrus had not sensed this distress, having been station much closer than Edge himself who was on  _the other side of the house._  There was no possible way the other skeleton wouldn't have sensed it, surely he wasn't that worthless. (He  _knew_ he wasn't that worthless; no matter how naive the other skeleton was, he was a version of  _Papyrus_ , afterall.)

Sans must have done  _something_.

Agitation flared in his mind for a moment, before settling on the situation before him.

The magic poured off the skeleton freely, formless and without true direction with the only intent of distress. The skeleton was trembling heavily, liquid magic pouring from his eye sockets away from the erratic magic emitting from the sockets in excess. He seemed to struggle for a moment against the blanket that was still half twisted around his form, digging his phalanges into anything within range.

Shallow indentations and the smell of marrow on Sans' own arms and legs told him that he had been struggling for a  _while_  now. A whine of distress cut through the room, and it spurred Edge to act. He wasn't absolutely certain what was wrong with the other, ( _a nightmare, a night-terror, an episode?_ ) but doing nothing was not acceptable.

The next pulse wasn't worn down by having to transverse through a barrier of wood and it caressed his form, leaving Edge feeling cold and the echo of a dull pain and misery. It only affirmed Edge's desire to  _act_.

He settled close to the other, touching the other gently and shaking him gently in attempt to snap the other skeleton out of whatever was wrong with him.

It was the incorrect move. Sans' magic flared in further distress and the skeleton screamed as if burned. "nonono _no **no**_ ," tore from his mouth and Edge found himself being jabbed by ivory limbs, struggling and fighting to get away from something Edge could not see.

The smaller skeleton scrambled away from the direction of the contact, fruitlessly struggling and his magic lashing out with no real visible target. It fizzled out of existence after a moment, but the mana usage was no doubt intensive and recalling the fights they had both suffered the day prior Sans' didn't have the mana to be expending right now, even if his mana wells were incredibly extensive.

The notion that the skeleton had probably been at this for a while, and how weak the magic from Sans was in comparison to their prior interaction created a sense of urgency. He closed the gap the smaller skeleton had created, ignoring the weak swipes of limbs in his direction before haphazardly CHECKing the other monster.

 

**Sans**

**HP: .07/1**

**AT: 1**

**DF: 1**

*** The easiest enemy. Can only deal 1 damage.**

 

"The easiest enemy,  _my ass._ " Edge remarked as he took in the flavor text. He made an irritated noise at the state of the other's health, briefly wishing his proficiency in healing magic wasn't absolutely abysmal.

He had never had the knack for it, despite his efforts. Not to say he couldn't do it, but he would rather not risk the event of a mistake given Sans' already incredibly fragile health.

Edge forced the other's hands away from his own limbs, restraining them with his own arms wrapped around small wrists. He ended up having to lock the others legs under his own because the bastard kept kicking.

" _Sans_ ," he hissed. " _Wake up_."

His attempts were fruitless. Sans didn't seem to hear him, moaning and trying to fight against his binding, to escape. Edge huffed in irritation, knowing he would have to resort to slightly more drastic measures.

Raw magic pooled in his hand, before it congealed to his intent. It was nothing more than a barely formed orb, but it held a sense of his LOVE. Edge distantly recalled last having used this message on one of Snowdrake's kids, having to wake his unconcious ass up for interrogation.

The bite of what was close enough to killing intent directly against one's SOUL was very good at making someone awake and alert even if unconscious, if not additionally  _terrified_. ~~His time with Alphys had at least garnered him _something_  useful.~~

However, Edge sincerely doubted Sans could ascend his current state of fear regardless. The magic crackled in his hands.

It would be much easier than normal, given the fact there was no physical membrane to have to work his magic through to get the SOUL of the monster. The only resistance he would meet would most likely just be the mana lines holding the skeleton together, which he had experience with working around.

He had only had to do the same for Red once, but the circumstances of that had been... different.

~~_"Would you rather me do it, Papyrus? Or maybe... you don't want your brother to wake up at all? If you wanted to be my assistant, you should have just **asked**." A nasally, clinical voice mocked._ ~~

Edge pushed the memory roughly, the image of Red being the one underneath his, lifeless and broken overlapped with Sans for a moment. He forced himself to focus on the collection of magic in his palm, the task before him and Sans' ragged breathing and desperate whines.

The was no preamble. He melted and twisted the coiling magic to the other's SOUL with little effort. Red met white, blurring with an edge of red and white dancing along the edges of the object.

The reaction was immediate.

The smaller skeleton made a sharp, pained gasp. Sans' eye sockets opened fully, eyelights manifesting as retracted pinpricks. His struggling stilled as his entire body tensed, eyelights flickering around the room and to Edge in a panicked fashion. Edge did not give in his hold, prepared for the other skeleton to lash out again.

There was a long moment, Sans' sights settling on Edge and him easily return the gaze. The smaller skeleton seemed to come to himself, rasping lowly.

"edge..?' Sans asked, his voice hoarse. "what...?"

His grip eased, though not fully retracting. A part of him wasn't ready to let the other outside of his control. Sans' blurred eyelights, slowly returning to a more normal size, flickered over to his bound arms for a moment, seeming to finally notice the restraint.

"You were emitting magic like a waterfall. You could have  _killed yourself_ , you idiot." Edge scolded sharply. The skeleton didn't respond, the flicker of something dark in his eyelights the only clue that Sans' even heard him. Edge's scowl deepened.

"You hurt yourself, Papyrus will have to take care of it come morning." He informed the skeleton, the fingers on his left hand brushing against shallow chips on the other's arm close to the source of his grip. Sans winced, probably at both his statement and action. He continued speaking, watching the other's breathing even out and the tension slowly melt from his frame.

"I'm surprised he didn't feel the magic from the other room before I did," he remarked absentmindedly. "But perhaps he is just that inept. He's not even a member of the royal guard, afterall."

A flash of indignation and irritation bled through Sans' expression, and Edge's scowl curved into something amused. " _Or,_ "He cut off the other skeleton, not giving him the opportunity to speak. "You did something like make the walls of his room magic resistance so that you could hide episodes like this." He mused, revealing his thoughts on the matter.

The widening of Sans' eyelights in response told him all he needed to know on the matter. He clicked his teeth together in irritation. " _Foolish_ ," he scolded the other.

The smaller skeleton didn't reply, and Edge merely took in his form. The epitome of e _xhausted_  and  _miserable_.

He was consumed with sharp anger for a moment. Angry at Papyrus for not taking proper care of his brother. Angry at  _Sans_  for not letting his brother help him. Angry at himself for letting  _his own_  Sans get to this point and even further.

Any lingering doubts of what to do next were burned away at the sight and the culmination of his thoughts. The compulsion to take care of the other like he would his own brother was heady and Edge wasn't in the mood to fight it. He hefted the other skeleton into his arms, ignoring an indignant squawk in protest.

"H-hey! What are you-!?" Edge paid him no mind, dragging him easily downstairs and absentmindedly noting how light the other was in his arms. He made his way to the nest Red had made for the two of them, a heady throb of exhaustion reminding him why he was doing this.

"As fond as I am of leaving you an absolute shriveling mess, and letting you stay up the rest of the night so that you're useless to us in the morning, I'm not. Nor am I letting you go back to sleep up there to wake me up again." He informed the skeleton scathingly, before dropping the other right next to Red.

He ignored a muffled protest from the other, before laying down himself. The ache in his bones told him he probably wouldn't be eager to move for a while.

"Just rest. if anything happens I'll fucking take care of it. Go to sleep." He hissed at the other, waiting for the other to protest his demands. He was met with bewildered eyelights, "you can't just-"

"I can and _I am._  I'll take care of everything." He made sure there was absolute certainty in his voice. " _Sleep_."

There was still a hint of doubt in Sans' eyelights, but the skeleton didn't move but to bury himself in the covers, so Edge would call his attempts successful. A part of him was pleased with the result, the two smaller skeletons adjacent to each other under his watch.

Sans was really like Red too much for his own good, Edge mused, before letting himself rest.


End file.
